I Dream in Blood
by Shadow of the Fire Bird
Summary: Cassandra Williams is a hotheaded, cross-dressing, pipe-smoking runaway who's spent more time in the dreams of others than having any aspirations of her own. That is until she meets Allen Walker and everything changes (for better or worse). Cassandra is now tangled in a web of secrets. Blood is thicker than water, and she's about to drown. (First in the Dream Scriptures)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to my D. Gray Man fanfic! I was originally going to write this story a lot later in my fanfiction line-up, but I basically devoured this manga series this summer, and now I need something to tied my over until the new manga is released (*inward scream of barely suppressed impatience*). So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy Chapter 1!

* * *

Chapter 1: The Girl Who Hunts Akuma

* * *

The dream always begins the same: with the end of the world.

I'm standing soaked up to my ankles in a sea of crimson blood, blocks of craggy rubble drift all around me. The sky is as black as ink and completely starless. The milky half-moon leers down at me; safe up in the sky, it taunts me with a mocking grin from its place of solitude amongst the dark heavens. I stare up at it, the silence of the world around me pressing against my skin. Then I see him.  
It's always the same; he's standing not two yards from me. His back is always to me at first, but then he turns around to face me.

He's just a kid, and it's always the same kid. He's pale and thin with wide silver-grey eyes; his face is still round with youth and framed by a mop of messy white hair. A jagged scar traces a sinister design down the left side of his face. He staggers where he stands, the sea of blood pooling around him.

His mouth opens, and he calls something out to me. Even though we are only so many feet apart, I can never hear him.

My own feet start moving on their own; I'm running, sprinting towards him as I drag my legs, heavy with blood, through the scarlet slosh. I rush desperately around the rubble, staggering and flailing as the distance between the boy and me seems to increase with each step I take.

But I'm there; I'm almost there. It's at this point in the dream, when I'm so close to the boy who, for some reason, I so desperately need to reach that I think that maybe things will be different this time.

But they never are. I'm merely a few feet from him; he reaches out to me. His left arm is shriveled and full of bloated red veins.

Close, so close. I reach out my own hand; the blood feels as thick as tar beneath my feet.

"Allen!" The name leaves my tongue of its own volition.

I have never known a boy named Allen.

And then it happens, ever time, the same time, like clockwork.

The boy starts forward, a mere half step…

…And then he dies.

His whole body goes rigid, his grey eyes grow wide, his mouth hangs slightly ajar, a silent exclamation before his whole form explodes into blood.

* * *

The train gives a mighty lurch, screeching to an unceremonious stop. I'm flung out of the dream and hurled forward in my seat to get a face full of ice cold window pane.

Lovely.

Grumbling under my breath, I massage my sore nose and sit back in my seat, watching the heated smudge that my face plant had made on the window slowly evaporate into the frigid rain-coated air.

Beyond the film of half-frozen water, I could see the grey outline of the station we'd stopped at: a firm slab of concrete marking a dismal little town that seemed to have no comings or goings of any noteworthy sort.

With a sigh, I snatch my periwinkle suitcase off the otherwise empty seat beside me and shuffle out into the aisle to join the dismal que out onto the platform.

I am soaked clean through before I've even managed to unfold my umbrella, fumbling with the bulky black device, I rifle through the inner pockets of my suit jacket until I eventually produce a crumpled sheet of worn paper.

I unfurl the map I'd bought from a street peddler three towns back; a purchase I'd immediately regretted as many of the town names were printed wrong.

I was bogus with directions anyways, but…Wait a minute.

 _Is the map printed upside down!_

With a groan of exasperation, I hurl the map into the wind only to have it buffeted by the storm and sent flying past my ear to tumble the opposite way down the track.

 _Well, I'm lost as hell._ I glance up at the plate of sheet metal pretending to be a sky. _I guess I should just find an inn and wait it out._

There was no way I was hoofing it on foot in this kind of weather. I switch my umbrella to the other hand; it bumps against the side of my head, knocking my top hat askew as though it's displeased with how roughly I'm handling it. I continue to fish around inside my coat until I produce a carved, pearly blue pipe from one of the pocket's depths. Aside from my suitcase, this pipe has been my only companion for the last three years.

 _Three years…Has it really been that long?_

As I stand here reminiscing in the middle of the platform, I begin to notice the usual funny looks are starting up again: raised eyebrows, curious over-the-shoulder glances, the occasional whisper behind the hand to a companion.

I feel the familiar tingling of self-consciousness begin to trickle up my spine, but I quickly shove it back down. Putting on a confident front, I jam the pipe between my teeth and bite down so hard the already gnawed tip almost snaps in two. Readjusting my umbrella and picking up my now thoroughly drenched suitcase, which I had sacrificed to the rain gods in order to read the map, I march off the platform and into the village.

The glances are here too, although they were nothing but brief glimpses as anxious shoppers and work goers hurry feverishly along Main Street in the hopes of getting home where a hot meal was waiting for them.

I, meanwhile, need to find the cheapest inn I can before I catch hypothermia and freeze to death.

I pause mid-step as a loud sneeze assaults my body, causing me to fumble with my pipe as it falls out of my mouth. "You alright there, sister?" barks a lazy-looking man who is lounging under an awning beside a fruit stand selling the reddest, juiciest looking apples I've ever seen.

I feel my mouth begin to salivate at the sight of them, shining in the dim, late afternoon light; I remember I haven't eaten since that morning.

I am understandably famished. The vendor seems to notice me eyeing his produce because he chuckles warmly. "You in the market, sweetheart?"

"Yes, please," I choke out, sniffing heavily. _Damn it. Am I catching a cold?_

The man laughs again. "You know what, darling? I just got this batch of beauties this morning and with the weather being as it is all day, they haven't been selling well. I was just about to close up for the day, and I don't want them to go to waste. What do you say I treat you to a special discount?"

My eyes pop. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as a heart attack."

"God bless you, sir!" I exclaim before assailing the fruit stand and stuffing a whole apple into my mouth, core and all, closely followed by another. _I'll just take two or twelve._

The man watches me voraciously attack his fruit stand with a look of bemusement. "Jesus lady, when's the last time you ate?"

I don't answer; I' not in the mood to explain my insane appetite, and I also currently have a mouthful of fruit.

"That's hardly lady-like," the man muses. "You some sort of a street performer or something?" he adds to me.

I pause to spit a seed out of the corner of my mouth. "No. What gave you that impression?"

The man points at me. "The clothes. You're dressed like a man."

He's right. Although my face has all the feminine faculties I could ever require: a narrow shape, porcelain skin, bright amber eyes, a thin nose, all framed by long scarlet hair loosely curled at the ends, my attire is otherwise quite the opposite.

The suit in question is a trim black design, the white shirt beneath it is hemmed in crimson detail with a black cravat at the throat. The same crimson pattern is also encircling the cuffs of my jacket and pants.

"Show a little respect," I exclaim, swallowing another apple as I adjust my black top hat, which I realize is still crooked. "I made this myself," I add, shaking one of the intricately sewn sleeves in his face.

The man stares at me. "So, this isn't an act of yours?"

"No," I shake my head as I cram one last apple between my teeth and stuff another into my coat pocket for later. I can tell from the man's expression that he's trying to mentally calculate how many of his apples I've eaten. "I'm a seamstress; I make clothes," I explain, gesturing to my periwinkle suitcase beside me. "See? That's all there is. I know this suit's a bit flashy, but it's all I've got. I've had to sell my entire wardrobe to get where I'm at."

The man quirks an eyebrow. "And where are you heading?"

I smile slightly, avoiding his gaze. "So, how much for the apples?"

"I…" the man falters, "I have absolutely no idea."

"Alright then," I reply, fishing out the last of my money and tossing it at him. "Keep the change," I add as I pick up my suitcase and head off down the street.

My stomach now partially full for the time being, I find myself in a much more rational state of mind, which gives me time to deliberate. I am still, after all, lost as hell.

I walk along the streets rather aimlessly, watching the lights in the windows wink out one by one. I am running out of places to go to and people to ask.

By the time I reach the end of Main Street, every shop is closed and I almost run into a broken street lamp because there's no longer any light to guide me.

"Geez God," I glance skyward through the misting rain. "Couldn't you have opened up a column of light around the Black Order or something to make it a little easier to find?"

No sooner have I spoken that the sky opens up and the rain falls away in a shower of glimmering shards illuminated by the moon just beginning to peer up through the thorny tree branches.

The natural light allows me to once again see my surroundings, and, as I glance down the street, I catch a glimpse of the dark outline of a familiar structure.

I grin. "Good enough."

If I can't find an inn than I know I can always sleep in the church; after all, I've spent all the remainder of my cash on those apples, and I am not about to start selling my underwear.

With renewed vigor, I tighten my grip on my periwinkle suitcase and stride off down the street towards the church.

However, my confidence quickly wanes the closer I get to the building. For one thing, it isn't much of a building anymore, as half of wall had been blown into the street. The sleek cobblestone road is covered in a heavy layer of dust and rubble. Thick boards crisscross the windows and what remains of the door that hasn't been blown off its hinges.

I move forward at a much slower pace, a sinking feeling all the way down to my shoes steadily increases the closer I get to the church.

Several police cars are gathered along the sidewalk, far more than their seemed to be necessary for the number of cops present, but then I see the body bags.

Dozens of them all are all lined up on the destroyed lawn, white blankets are draped over bundles in a perfectly straight row, like the polished white stones of a garden wall.

I shiver. Something feels off here; this is no normal crime scene.

"Can I help you?" I jump about a foot in the air and whip around to come face to face with a female police officer. She's giving me a suspicious once-over over a pair of round, wire-rimmed glasses. Her inquisitive, slightly freckled face is framed by chestnut hair that was falling out from under her dome-shaped police cap.

She was rather cute, especially in the uniform. "Civilians were instructed to stay clear of the area," she adds.

"Oh, I'm not from around here," I quickly explain. "I just got off the train."

The police woman raises an eyebrow, but relaxes somewhat after she notes my suitcase. "What are you doing here then?" she inquires.

"Actually," I drop my eyes with a sheepish smile. "I was hoping to sleep in that church tonight, but since you people tend to frown on that sort of thing, I guess I'll be on my way."

I turn to leave, but the police woman stops me. "Wait! You don't have a place to stay?"

I glance back at her. "Well, I spent the last of my money on food," I explain, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

The police woman's smile is surprisingly warm, the stern officer of the law from before has melted away and is replaced with a noticeably young woman, not that much older than me. "Well, if you want," she says. "You can spend the night at my house."

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose," I stammer.

"I insist," she exclaims. "I can't have a visitor to our village wandering around on a cold night with no place to go. What sort of lawman would I be?"

I smile. "Alright," I turn back around. "Where do you-" I start but am abruptly cut short when I glance over the police woman's shoulder, and what I see makes my heart fall out of my chest.

The dark earth surrounding the church and the picket fence of bodies is peppered with black stars. "What is it?" the police woman asks as I wordlessly brush past her and hurry over to the edge of the church yard.

"Hey, lady! What do you think you're doing? This is a crime scene!" one of the other cops barks as I crouch down in the scorched earth to examine the markings more closely. "Moor, get her out of here!" the cop adds to the police woman.

I ignore him, squinting in the late-evening light at the markings; the sense of dread only growing heavier. "There is no doubt about it," I whisper. "Akuma have been here."

"What did you just say?" I turn to see the police woman call Moore standing behind me, her eyes the size of dinner plates. "You…You know about-?"

I don't let her finish as I jump to my feet and take off around the other side of the church. "Moor, what are you doing?" the other cop cries. "Get her!"

"Huh?" Moor seems snap out of some kind of stupor. "Oh, right," she adds before dashing after me.

"Hey, you! Wait!" she calls out to me as she rounds the corner. I glance at her, momentarily taking my eyes off the large hole in the second floor of the church where a huge chunk seemed to have been blown clean away, more black pentacles dot the eroded stone sides of the building.

"You," I point at the police woman. "Moor, was it? Do you know what happened here?"

Moor is about to respond when a small sound is heard coming from the shadow of the half building. The police woman and I whip around just in time to see a small, ratty girl in a faded dress, carrying a teddy bear, emerge into the moonlight.

She is crying and wailing bitterly. "Mommy. Mommy!" she sobs.

"Oh honey, it's alright," Moor exclaims, quickly rushing over to the girl and kneeling down to give her a reassuring hug. I hang back, however, my eyes narrow in suspicion. "There's no need to cry, sweetheart," Moor continues as the girl buries her face in the policewoman's shoulder. "We'll help you find your mommy."

It happens in a flash. The girl's eyes snap open and a sharp claw springs out from her back, curling inward as it's poised to stab Moor in the back. There is a blunt crack and a sound like shattered glass followed by a hollow gasp.

Moor gapes in shock, staring at the girl as her claw-like appendage falls to the ground behind her; she is frozen where she stands, her eyes hollow below a thin scarlet ribbon that had stabbed her straight through the head.

"Don't move," I call.

Moor turned to look at me, eyes frozen in horror to see the other end of the ribbon jutting out from under my jacket cuff.

She turns back to the girl to see thin trails of ink black blood begin to drip from her punctured skull; a few drops fall onto the ground between them and leave familiar star-like impressions in the dirt.

"A-Another Akuma?" Moor stammers, staggering away from the girl as she dissolves into a pile of ash.

"Don't worry. Just a scavenger," I explain, retracting the red ribbon back into my sleeve. "Akuma can smell the blood of humans and their own from miles away. You know, like sharks."

Moor stares at me. "What was that? That red thing?"

"My Anti-Akuma weapon," I explain simply, "Never leave home without it."

Moor shakes her head in disbelief. "I just can't believe that sweet-looking girl was an Akuma!"

"Akuma wear the skin of humans as a disguise," I muse. "Needless to say, they can look like anyone."

"But how did you _know_?" Moor insists. "How did you know that girl was an Akuma?"

I don't respond right away; I stare down at the ash pile that is all that remains of the Akuma. "To be honest, I didn't know," I finally say, "I can't really explain it; just a feeling. I guess it comes with practice."

"What would you have done if that girl _wasn't_ an Akuma?" Moor demands.

I don't answer. "It's not safe here," I declare. "Tell your colleagues that you all need to get the hell out of here. I'll be on my way."

I turn to leave once more, but Moore once again intercepts me. "Wait. I'm holding out on my offer to let you spend the night," she calls. "And besides, we need to talk."

* * *

Moore lives in a quaint little home just down the street from the church that would have been comfortable and homey if not for…  
"Whoa, did a bomb go off in here?" I ask as I cross the threshold, suitcase in hand, unlit pipe in teeth.

The kitchen is a disheveled clusterfuck of broken china and splattered food. The table is flipped on its side; plates, knives, forks and other kinds of table settings are scattered across the floor with more food staining the walls.

There is also a large hole in the back wall.

"I know, I know; it's a mess," Moor exclaims as she rushes past me and quickly begins gathering up the shattered dishes and ruined food. "I'm afraid you missed dinner," she adds with a weak smile.

"I'm sort of glad I did," I reply, flipping the table back upright and sitting down in one of the chairs beside it. Moore dumps the remains of her destroyed meal into the trash then fetches a mop to begin working at the stains.

I survey the wall behind her. "What made that hole in the wall?"

Moor abruptly stops her vigorous mopping. Her back is to me so I can't see her expression. "The Akuma that attacked the church earlier," her voice is very quiet. "It was hiding inside my brother-in-law."

My eyes widen. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Moor sniffs, pausing to wipe her eyes before turning to face me. "Can I get you anything?"

"Some tea would be nice," I reply, getting to me feet. "I'll make it," I add, brushing past her and heading to the stove.

"Oh no," Moor protests. "You're my guest. I should make it."

"It's fine," I reply as I fill a kettle with water and set it on the stove. "You'll find I'm remarkably self-sufficient."

I turn from the policewoman to fiddle with the stove knobs. Although I can't see her, I can feel her eyes on my back, intently studying me.

"How-How can you be so aloof?" she demands, "After what you just witnessed, you're acting so calm."

"I know," I reply calmly as I fish a packet of teabags out of the cabinet. "But that's what I have to do, as an Exorcist, my life has always been filled with darkness, but if I let that darkness consume me, I would become like them, like the Akuma." I turn around to face Moor fully. "I would lose my humanity, and that's the most important thing to someone like me."

Moor stares at me, a million emotions running across her face.

The kettle whistles, and I quickly turn back around to lift it from the stove. Moor continues to stare at me; her large eyes reflect in her glasses. "You…I never caught your name," she whispers.

I pause to grin at her over my shoulder. "Cassandra Williams, but you can call me Cas."

* * *

A short time later, Moor and I are sitting around the kitchen table, in the warm glow of an oil lamp. Moor keeps her eyes focused on the cup of tea she cradles between her hands. Meanwhile, I've lit my pipe and am sitting across from her silently puffing on it, deep in thought.

"If it's not too hard for you," I said after a pregnant silence. "Would you mind detailing the events of the Akuma attack at the church?"

Moor glances up at me, startled, as I pull out a weather beaten, leather-bound journal from the depths of my coat. "I don't mean to be crass, but I've made a habit of keeping a log of the Akuma activity in all of the towns I've visited. Would you mind telling me what happened before I showed up?"

Moor shakes her head silently. "No I don't mind. I guess I should start with the church," she adds. "You see, that church has been a bit infamous since the accident that happened there several months ago."

"Accident?" I ask, without looking up as I frantically scribble my pen across the page.

"Yes, my sister Claire and her fiance Marc were going to be married in that church, but on the day of the wedding," Moor's voice broke slightly. "The chandelier fell and crushed her right on the altar, Claire was killed instantly."

Moor's grip tightens on her mug so intensely I thought the thing might crack in two. "We'd had a fight that day," she whispers through gritted teeth. "She didn't want me to become a cop. I didn't mean the things I'd said, and I never got to tell her I was sorry."

I pause and glance up from my log. Silently, I reached out and place my hand over Moor's hand, leaving it there for only a fraction of a second before pulling it away and returning to my notes.

Moor looks at me in surprise before mentally shaking herself; she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before continuing. "As expected, Marc was devastated. He didn't eat or sleep; he always looked so pale and gaunt. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I mean, I was worried about him, but I thought he was just depressed. I didn't know. I never could have known," she shakes her head.

"That he was the Akuma," I muse, taking my pipe from between my teeth and letting out a slow drag of pearly smoke. "So, the Millennium Earl appeared to your brother-in-law Marc in his grief-stricken state and convinced him to resurrect your sister Claire. He agreed of course, not knowing the Earl would turn her into an Akuma, which would than kill Marc and wear his skin as a disguise."

"Yes," Moor whispers. "And Akuma are made by this Earl to destroy the world and kill every human it can."

"Precisely," I reply. "You know more than I thought."

Moor smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

"It's always the same pattern," I muse, clenching the pipe in my teeth. "The Millennium Earl always preys upon the weakness of humans in pain."

Moor gaps at me. "Is it weakness to be able to _feel_?" she snaps.

I stare at her, "Yes."

Moor regards me somewhat disdainfully. "Anyway, after Claire's and Marc's death, the Akuma began haunting the church and killing anyone who entered, usually homeless people or travelers that spend the night there."

"Lucky me," I murmur through clenched teeth.

"Naturally, rumors spread like mad. The townspeople spoke of nothing but people's cloths being found in piles of ash with the bodies nowhere in sight."

I nod. "Of course, Akuma Oil erodes organic material."

"Last night, I was sent to investigate the church with my partner because the complaints were getting so bad."

"He didn't make it out, did he?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I almost didn't either. I thought the rumors were all nonsense; I never would have believed something like an Akuma could exist even when I saw it with my own eyes. The chief and most of my colleagues didn't believe it either. That's why they charged the church blind and well…." Her voice trails off once more, but she doesn't need to finish.

I recall the long line of white draped bodies spread out on the church lawn, now knowing there was nothing but piles of clothes under the cloths.

"Many more people would have died if it hadn't been for that boy," Moor adds.

I choke on my pipe. "Boy? What boy?"

Moor blinks. "Wasn't he a friend of yours?"

I stare. "You mean he was an Exorcist?"

"Yes, he said he was passing through here, heading to some place called the Black Order."

"So am I," I murmur. "Damn, I wish I'd gotten her earlier, so he could tell me the way."  
 _I'm still completely and utterly lost._

Moor looks thoughtful. "I think he mentioned something about heading north, apparently this Black Order is only a few towns over from here. Only about a day's train ride."

"Really?" I exclaim. "That's great. Maybe I'm not as lost as I thought."

"It's funny," Moor muses. "I thought all you Exorcists knew each other."

"Well, I'm not an Exorcist," I admit. "Not officially anyway."

"Right. Well, is there anything else you want to know?"

"Yes," I reply, dousing my pipe in my half-drunk tea mug. "This boy that killed the Akuma, what was his name?"

"Allen, Allen Walker."

 _Splash!_ I drop my pipe into my tea mug, causing mud-colored liquid to splatter across the table.

Moor stares at me in surprise. "What? Was it something I said?"

I don't answer right away; I stare down at my soaked pipe and ruined tea, clenching and un-clenching my fists to quell their shaking.

 _No it can't be. It can't be that that dream, the one that's tormented me for weeks and weeks, is going to come true._

"Cas, what is it?" Moor demands.

I look up at her. "Are you sure his name was Allen?"

"Uh, yes," Moor nods hesitantly. "Why?"

"Was he short?" I don't answer her question. "Scrawny? White hair? With a funky scar over his left eye?"

"Yes, that exactly!" Moor exclaims. "I thought you said you didn't know him."

"I don't," I mutter, fishing my soaked pipe from the depths of my tea mug and wiping it off on my sleeve.

"Oh my God, Cas!" Moor's exclamation makes me jump a mile in my chair. "You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" I look up to see Moor frantically pointing at my forehead.

"There's blood on your forehead!"

"Really?" I reach up and press a finger to my face only to feel warm sticky fluid gently coat them upon applying pressure. "Huh, so I am."

"Hold on. I'll get some bandages," Moor cries, jumping to her feet.

"No, it's fine," I wave her aside. "It's just a little cut; it'll go away in a minute."

Moor regards me suspiciously. "That Akuma didn't get you, did it? Allen told me their blood was toxic."

"No. It's probably from when I bumped my forehead on the train earlier," I assert, getting to my feet as well. "I'll just wash up. Where's your bathroom?"

"Down the hall, on your right," Moor quickly explains.

"Thanks," I follow her instructions and squeeze my way into the tight, cramped space. I stare at my face in the dingy mirror to see a thin stream of blood slowly trickling down from an unknown gash in my hair line. Since my crimson hair is almost exactly the same shade as my vital fluids, it's hard to tell where the hair stops and the blood flow begins.

"Damn," I press a finger to the spot the blood seemed to originate from. "I guess I should have used more killing that Akuma earlier. Huh, I'm getting lazy." I smile grimly to myself before turning to the toilet and lifting the seat. "But it can't be helped."

I grip my waist as I feel the familiar heat rush down my torso into the pit of my stomach. My whole body heaves, and I choke, my mouth floods with liquid as a thick stream of blood suddenly pours out over the rim of my lower lip. I bend over the toilet and choke again as more crimson fluid spills from my throat. It takes a few seconds before I have dispensed just enough to sustain me for a time.

Coughing into my hand so as not to alert Moor down the hall, I pause to survey my reflection once more. Wiping away the last remnants, I find the blood has stopped dripping from my scalp.

I stare at my face in the bathroom's half-light for a few more minutes, turning the events of the day over in my mind. "Allen Walker, huh?"

* * *

Moor was kind enough to let me sleep in her sister's old room, which was rather awkward given our recent conversation. She didn't speak to me much for the remainder of the evening, so I turned myself in for the night not too long after my little episode in the bathroom.

I could tell she's put off by my detached attitude. I don't tend to apologize, but I can't really say I blame her.

The dream came and went with its usual sense of steadily falling paired with mounting fear, and blood, so much blood.

Granted, I was used to blood, but my own.

Finally, after a fitful rest, a dull late-fall morning dawns on the sleepy town, and Moor and I say our goodbyes from her front porch.

I stand in the doorway, suitcase in one hand, packed lunch that contains the last contents of Moor's refrigerator after I'd cleaned her out during breakfast in the other. My pipe is in my teeth, its smoke mixing with the breeze.

Moor stares at her slippers for a long while; the station was courteous enough to give her the day off, so she hasn't bothered to change out of her pajamas.

"I guess this is goodbye," she whispers.

"Yeah. See you," I mutter through my pipe. I turn to head down the path, but Moor stops me.

"Wait! I wish you luck, Cas," her words make me pause halfway down the steps. "You'll need it because you're cold, cold as ice."

My back is once again to her, so she can't see my expression; I try to make it as unreadable as possible, if not for her than for myself. "Thanks," I mutter without turning around before I tighten my grip on my periwinkle suitcase and march down the walkway and onto the street, a new vigor in my step.

Now, to find this boy called Allen Walker

* * *

A/N: Meet my OC Cas Williams! :) I know this chapter is rather vague, but you'll learn more about her as the story progresses. I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you'll tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks to the followers I gained from the last chapter. Here's chapter two!

* * *

Chapter 2: That Which Calls Out Disaster

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" the pink-cheeked waitress chirps, her smile stretching so broadly across her face I'm surprised her head hasn't split in half.

I glower at her over the roof of my log book. "Do I _look_ like I want anything?"

The waitress's face flushes even deeper in the half-light. "I-I'm sorry. Excuse me." She then turns and quickly walks away.

I roll my eyes in dismay as I glance around the dingy bar I've found myself in. it has been about three days since the incident with Moor and the Akuma at the church. Following Moor's advice, I've headed north, farther than I've ever traveled before.

"And I've seen nothing," I murmur to myself, fishing around inside my pocket until I pull out my pipe. Lighting it on the dimly lit candle on the table in front of me, I survey m y log book once more. "Just as I thought," I muse to myself, "The level of Akuma activity has decreased dramatically since I left Moor's village."

It was an odd thing really. Normally, throughout my meandering exploits, I've found the number of Akuma in any given area to be pretty consistent, give or take a few more in a particularly crowded area, but lately I haven't been seeing any.

This struck me as considerably unusual; it was almost as though this tiny corner of the world held something, something of great power that was making the Akuma turn around and head for the hills.

I smile to myself as the puffs of my pipe smoke swirl around me. _This can only mean one thing: I'm getting close to the Black Order._

It's a little hard to believe; I've been hearing about the Black Order ever since I was a little kid, and I've spent the last three years training for the day that is now swiftly approaching: the day I become a full-fledged Exorcist.

However, right now I'm sitting in a one-star bar, penniless, freezing, bored as hell, and hungry enough to eat the leg off a priest.

 _God, I almost_ wish _an Akuma would attack, just to give me something to do!_

The chiming jingle of the bell above the door jolts me from my gloomy musings as the door opens and a group of workman lumber into the pub.

They settle down at a table on the opposite end of the room and quickly order a round of drinks from the buxom bar maid.

I watch with quickly waning interest, barely noticing my pipe going out until I almost choke on the tobacco powder. As I stuff more into the pipe end with one hand, the other fishes around in the pocket of my overcoat until I pull out a worn, weather-beaten, leather-bound book.

The black cover is plain and unremarkable save the faded gold letters printed across the front that spell a familiar word: _Bible_.

With little interest, I flip open to a random page and end up in Revelations Chapter 21:

 _"_ _He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."_

I smile grimly to myself, _Now that's an end of the world I'd like to be a part of, not 'the sun turning to darkness and the moon turning to blood' nonsense, speaking of blood…_

I tentatively reach up and touch my upper lip just as the first few droplets of blood fall from my nose. _Great, I'll be drowning in seconds._

"Need a tissue, hon?" I glance up to see the busty bar maid standing over me, a brimming tray of beers on her hip. She's flashing me a smile so bright her teeth seem almost translucent as she holds out a handkerchief to me.

"Uh, thanks," I murmur, taking the cloth from her and pressing it to my nose. _Maybe I need to go throw up again._

"Are you alright, darling?" the bar maid inquires. "You look rather flushed."

"I always look like this," I reply, dabbing my nose with the cloth. "Thanks again."

"No problem, sweetheart," the bar maid replies with a wink before sauntering over to the workmen to give them another round of drinks; judging from the loud laughing and caterwauling, I take it's not their second.

"Man, can you believe the nerve of that damn brat," the largest of the men is exclaiming, waving his beer mug around dramatically and sloshing its contents all over the table. He is of a broad build with a shaved head and a thin toothbrush moustache. "I can never get a moment's peace."

"I know what you mean," adds a squat man in a baker's uniform. "He made me burn half my loaves yesterday."

"And now he's at it again today," a third man with long, greasy hair continues, "Going on and on, kid never stops."

"It's all because of Jan's old man walking out on him like that," the first man declares with a snort. "It's for attention, that's what it is, but it's becoming such a fucking pain in the ass!" He pauses to take a thick swig of his beer. "I swear, if Jan's father doesn't come back and knock some sense into his kid, I'm going to beat all this nonsense outta him myself. Akuma! Of all the cheek."

I freeze; glancing across the room at their table out of the corner of my eye. Abruptly, I gather up my things, get to my feet and stride over to the men. Baldy is still ranting and raving; his back is to me, so he doesn't see me approach.

"Excuse me," I call out. "What was that you said about Akuma?"

Baldy stiffens; his friends are all gapping at me, jaws hanging wide open.

"And what do you care about that, stranger?" Baldy snaps, trying to turn around to face me but almost falling from his chair in the process. "The goings on in our town ain't none of your business."

"Perhaps not," I muse, pulling up a chair and plopping down in it, "But I consider the matter of Akuma my business. Now, why don't you tell me what you know?" I cross my arms and lean back in the chair.

Baldy surveys me up and down, a heavy scowl on his face. "I ain't telling you nothing!"

"Really? Now, that's hardly the way to treat a guest in your quaint little village, is it?"

The man's ruddy face flushes an even deeper shade of red. "You smug bitch!" he hollers, staggering to his feet and making it a move to hit me.

I roll my eyes and subtly stick out my foot, the man tumbles to the ground and falls flat on his face with a loud crash. At this point, everyone in the pub has stopped what they were doing and is watching our little display.

"Hey!" barks the bar maid, "If ya gonna fight, do it outside."

"Oh, now, there's no need for that," I exclaim. "Is there?" I add to Baldy as he rolls over onto his back, groaning as he massages his head. "I'm giving you one last chance to just tell me what you know about this Akuma."

"She tripped me!" the man exclaims, staggering to his feet and jabbing a meaty finger in my face, "Did you see that? She tripped me."

I arch an eyebrow. "Did I? Well, you were just about to hit a girl."

"You fucking little whore!" the man slurs, his foul-smelling breath wafting in my face.

"Now, now. There's no reason we can't be civil," I exclaim, rising to my feet. Despite being rather tall for a girl, I am nowhere near tall enough to be physically imposing to this man. That's probably why, even in his drunken state, he still seems so confident.

"Civil?" Badly sniffs.

"Yes," I reply, holding up a finger. "I have a proposition for you."

"What?"

"You seem like a decent chap. What do you say we settle this man to man? Waiter, another round, if you please!" I call to the bar maid, "And make it a double."

Baldy narrows his beady eyes at me, swaying slightly where he stands. "What are you up to?"

"It's quite simple," I explain, just as the bar maid hurries over with another tray full of beers. "If you manage to drink more than me, I'll get out of your hair. However, if I drink more than you, you have to tell me about this Akuma. Sound like a fair deal?"

Baldy smirks. "You kidding me, bitch? A scrawny little thing like you could barely handle too drinks!"

"Well then," I settle back into my chair before the mounting pile of brimming beer mugs. "Why don't you show me how it's done?" It was pretty clear that I was at the disadvantage here, despite the man's previous intoxication, or so he thought.

"Gladly," the man sits down across from me, obviously grateful to not have to stand anymore. He then snatches a mug from the top of the pile and downs it in one gulp.

I raise a brow. "Impressive."

The man smirks, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he slams the now empty glass down on the table. "Beat that." He then belches loudly and sways slightly in his seat.

"Alright," I reach for a glass. At this point, a crowd has gathered around us, most of the bar was eagerly watching the showdown between me and Baldy with the latter's friends cheering him on.

I tip the contents of the mug down my throat, feeling the foul-tasting substance fill my mouth. I take down half the glass before having to pause to draw breath and then finishing off the lot.

Baldy's grin widens as he snatches two mugs from the tray and takes them down one after the other.

Whoops and cheers rise up from his friends and the crowd looks impressed. Baldy grins, giggling and hiccupping uncontrollably as he grips the table for support, his face growing increasingly deeper shades of red.

As calmly as I can, I reach forward and select another mug, doing the same thing as before: draining it halfway and pausing before drinking the rest.

When I finish, my opponent throws his head back and barks laugh. "Ha! You're a joke, Red. All bark and no bite!"

He then grabs one mug, a second, and then a third.

"Chug, chug, chug!" holler his friends, and the crowd soon joins in as he slurps down all three drinks in a row

"I've got you beat!" Baldy announces, shoving the glasses away and knocking one off the table where it shatters across the floor.

I try really hard to suppress a grin as I calmly reach forward and pull the entire tray, containing eight drinks, towards me.

"What are you doing?" Badly is as red as a tomato and practically splayed across the table.

I smile. "You wanted bite, you say? Alright, I'll give you bite." I then slowly and meticulously remove one of my white, silk gloves and hold my ring finger up to my lips.

The crowd looks on in confusion and then alarm when I abruptly sink my teeth into my finger. Crimson blood spurts out from the wound as I slowly retract my mouth from the digit and hold my finger aloft. Trails of blood trace delicate designs down the sides of my ring finger while a single thread dangles from the cut to my mouth.

The crowd gaps as I slowly stretch my hand towards the tray full of beer mugs before me, the thin ribbon of blood grows longer, always remaining connected to my mouth.

My finger hovers over the eight glasses. A gasp rises up from the crowd as the single trail of blood suddenly splits off into several little strings. Each one sways and snaps like tiny feelers as they slowly trickle their way down into the depths of the amber fluid.

I grin through my teeth before slamming my lips shut around the other end of the now many blood ribbons, and then I start to drink.

To everyone's shock, the liquid in the all of the glasses instantly begins to go down. The trails of blood acting like one gigantic crazy straw, allowing me to slurp up the eight drinks in one go.

As the beverages slowly drain away, Baldy, his friends, and the rest of the crowd all watch, wide-eyed, and slack jawed: too stunned to move.

It is so quiet in the bar, you can hear a pin fall, and it remains that way until the last drop of beer has drained away.

I exhale, and the blood straw collapses, falling back onto the table in a seemingly normal puddle.

There is a pause as I slowly dab my mouth with the handkerchief the bar maid had given me. "I win," I finally declare.

There is another pause before the crowd suddenly explodes into cheers, even Baldy's friends. My opponent, meanwhile, is gawking at me, his eyes bugging out his head.

"Why you," his tongue is so thick with drink that he can barely speak. "You-You cheated!" he tries to rise to his feet, but barely makes it halfway before he falls forward and slides off the table to land on the floor in a heap.

"My statement stands," I declare, rising to my feet while Baldy's friends gather around him and attempt to bring him back 'round. "But now I don't have anyone to tell me about the Akuma."

"Akuma?" the bar maid suddenly pipes up. "Where did you hear about Akuma? You haven't been listening to Jan's stories have you?"

I glance her way. _Jan, I remember that name coming up during Baldy's drunken ravings_. "What can you tell me about it?" I ask the bar maid, settling down in my seat and pulling up a chair for her to sit beside me. Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd begins to disperse, seemingly having lost interest, while Baldy's friends work as a team to try and carry their wasted companion outside.

The bar maid rings her hands, seemingly trying to figure out exactly how to word something. "Jan is the son of a local scientist Jake Russel. He left town several months ago to go work for some organization further north of here, but he left his wife and son behind. Jan was too young to come with him, and his wife has always been too sickly to travel; she stays in bed most days. Poor Jan is all alone in that big empty house. I suppose he must have been lonely and read some of his father's old research."

"What old research?" I ask.

"Oh a load of nonsense really," the bar maid replies, "Some sort of research on the origins of evil, downright occult if you ask me."

I purse my lips, "Is that so?"

"Yes, well a lot of us think that poor, lonely Jan must have gotten a hold of his daddy's research because the next thing we know, the kid's scared half to death, always screaming about our town being full of Akuma. At first we all thought it was just a game, but the way he carried on, people thought he was really hurt and came a runnin'. Naturally, over time it's become quite wearisome, and many people have gotten sick of him," the bar maid drops her eyes. "But not me, I mostly just feel bad for him."

"Interesting, very interesting." the bar maid glances up as I get to my feet. "And where does this Jan kid live?"

"The large house on Runner Street," the bar maid replies.

"I see. Well, thanks for all of your help, I'll be on my way now."

"Now hold on a moment, sugar," the bar maid exclaims when I turn to leave. "You still have to pay for all those drinks you ordered."

I wince, "Oh, right." I frantically began fishing around in my pockets until I finally pull out a deep green brooch. "Here." I set it on the table in front of the bar maid. "Take this as payment; I nicked it out of my mother's jewelry box before I left the house. It should be more than enough."

The bar maid stares down at the brooch, bewildered. She glances back up at me, "Exactly how old are you, dearie?"

"Seventeen," I reply. "But you didn't hear it from me," I add with a wink before turning back around and heading towards the door.

"Wait, you had a lot to drink there, sweetie," the bar maid calls after me, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Oh, I'll be fine," I reply, waving my hand dismissively. "I don't get drunk."

I don't look back when I exit the pub, but I can almost feel the confused expression the bar maid is most likely giving me behind my back.

 _She doesn't understand_ , I say to myself, _But my blood_ literally _prevents me from getting drunk._

I step out into the damp night air. The sun had set long ago, and the narrow streets are bathed in darkness.

I step off the curb, about ready to cross the street to the shabby little inn I've been staying in when a violent pain suddenly slices through my skull.

I cry out and stagger across the cobblestones, collapsing to my knees as the pain cuts my head open. My vision blurs and a series of colors flash before my eyes. The colors slowly merge together, morphing into images.

I am a child, a child laying on the ground: dirty, bloody, with tears in my eyes. An Akuma is standing over me, pinning my body to the ground with its claws. The Akuma is not at its full strength: newly born and nothing more than a metal skeleton with no eyes and a black pentacle stained into its face.

I can feel the Akuma's claws digging in my skin before it unhinges it jaw and speaks:  
 _I curse you! I curse you…Allen!_

The Akuma raises its arm and brings it down across my face, there is a blinding flash and a burning pain in my left eye, and then everything goes black.

My eyes snap open as the vision falls away from my like sand through my fingers. I'm kneeling on the side of the road just outside the pub.

A black taxi carriage suddenly rolls around the corner and thunders past, causing me to dive out of the way before it hit me.

I feel weak at the knees, nausea churning in my stomach as I crawl across the cold, rough sidewalk. I manage to make it over to the shadow of a nearby building before I throw up. Bile burns in my throat as a mixture of blood and alcohol falls from my mouth and splatters across the cobblestones. When I manage to regain control of my body, I shakily rise to my feet and lean against the wall for support.

I raise my hands to my face, they're shaking. I press my clammy fingers against my eyes.  
 _Allen, that Akuma had said Allen._

Slowly, I lower my fingers from my eyes. "I need to find this kid before he kills me."

* * *

"The big house on Runner Street," I muse to myself as I check the street sign, squinting in the quickly darkening light. I then glance down the street where I could just make out an ornate white manor peeking out between a pair of neatly groomed hedges. _This seems to be the place._

I quickly make my way down the street; it's a damp night and a thin mist has risen up along the cobblestones, the pearly clouds lap at my ankles and cling to the tails of my coat as I walk.

Eventually, I make it to the house of Jake Russel and his son Jan. I pause at the gate, unsure of how to proceed: the house is dark and silent, but then a light goes on in one of the first floor windows. Confidence restored, I cross the lawn, hurry up to the front door and ring the bell.

It's only a few seconds before the door is thrown open, a blade of harsh, yellow light stabs through the outside darkness before it is eclipsed by the massive form of a burly governess. She's a frumpy sort of character with a face like a clown: fat lips and a big red nose. She stares down at me in a somewhat imposing manner, and I almost lose my nerve before her thick mouth breaks into a wide grin.

"Hello, there, dearie. How can I help you?"

"Um," I struggle for my lost composure. "I'm looking for Jan Russel. I was told he lived her."

"Goodness me," the Governess exclaims. "Jan is certainly popular today."

"What do you mean?" I inquire

"I'm afraid he's not home right now, dearie, "the Governess explains. "He went out with a friend of his, Leo. I think they're going on patrol, as they put it. It's such a cute game they play: they pretend to be Akuma hunters like the Exorcists."

I cringe. "So, Leo is stirring up trouble about the Akuma too?"

"Well, up until recently," the Governess continues, "The poor boy's mother died quite suddenly a few weeks back. It's been a while since Jan's seen his friend, that's why I'm glad they're back together again; I hope Jan can do Leo some good."

 _Leo's mother…died?_ A horrible feeling suddenly rushes through me.

"If you want, dearie. I can tell Jan you were here."

"That's okay. I'll find him myself," I hurriedly reply. "Do you have any idea where they might be?"

The Governess pauses to consider. "I think Leo said something about showing Jan some sort of secret at the local cemetery. Not sure what, but you know boys."

"Cemetery, right. Is that far from here?" I demand, trying my best not to sound anxious.

"Not at all," the Governess replies. "It's just two blocks from here. "You can't miss it."

"Right." I don't even thank the woman as I turn on the spot and bolt back across the lawn before taking off down the street towards the cemetery, leaving the Governess bemused in my wake.

My blood pounds anxiously in my ears as I fly down the sidewalk, my thoughts racing almost as fast as my blood is pumping. _Cemetery, that can't be random. Akuma like to fester in places amongst the dead; they like to kill in places of fear and despair._

I whip around the corner and turn onto the street the cemetery is supposed to be on. I can see the black iron bars of the gateway looming out of the shadows. As I draw nearer, my head continues to spin.

 _Maybe it is just a coincidence; maybe I'm overreacting. Then again, maybe I'm not_. My pace increases as I rush up to the graveyard entrance. The gate is locked and a padlock chain has been wound around the entrance.

I tug on the gate in frustration; it rattles slightly but doesn't budge. From out of the gloom of the graveyard beyond the gate, I can hear someone scream.

Without another thought, I hop back a few steps and then break into a run. I jump the gate with little effort and land on the other side with slightly less grace then I would have liked.

As I touch down in the cemetery, a feeling like a cold hand closes around my heart. A cloud moves away from the full milky moon as it peers down from its perch in the sky, and that's when I see it.

Allen, I see Allen. He's standing with his back to me, but it's still unmistakably him. He's short, although not as short as he seemed in my dream, and he's wearing black suit pants with a matching vet over a white button-down with a red cravat at the throat. His hair is still a tussled, powder-white mess, although it appears almost silvery in the moonlight.

However, the most striking thing about him is something that I hadn't seen before. It is his arm; his left arm to be precise because it is a good four times the size of the rest of his body. It is a bulky shape, with firm, almost armored, greyish-white skin and long, sharp claws. An odd sort of green-white light is emanating from around his shoulder blade.

I am so focused on Allen that I don't even notice who else in the cemetery. There are two boys standing a short ways from Allen: the taller of the two is thin with light hair, the other has dark messy hair under aviator goggles and is teetering on a pair of roller blades; he looks absolutely terrified, and I soon see why.

Because then I hear a voice, a cold, chilling, sickeningly familiar voice that makes every drop of blood in my body turn to ice:  
"Sorry, Jan. Leo has been dead for some time. He died on the day of his mommy's funeral."

There is another person in the cemetery, if you could even call him a person. His is incredibly tall and wide with a large, robust figure. He's wearing a beige coat trimmed in purple with a tall black top hat perched on his swollen head. But it was his face, his face is the truly terrifying aspect: his skin is sickly grey and his pointed, yellow-green eyes peer maliciously over a pair of small, pince-nez spectacles. He has large ears sticking out from the sides of his head and a large jaw that stretches straight down to his chest with a humongous, white, sharp-toothed grin. "It's so tragic. Now Leo's an Akuma that will punish you for meddling in my glorious plans!"

I stagger backwards, my back smacking against the graveyard gate. _It's him. There's no doubt in my mind. The Millennium Earl. The Demon King…  
_ "The Creator of Akuma."

"No, you're lying. Leo can't be an Akuma!" the dark-haired boy, who I now know is Jan, grips the lighter-haired boy, Leo, shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Jan, but it is true," Allen calls to Jan, striding over to him

Jan glances at Allen, then turns back to Leo. "Leo?"

His friend grins, but doesn't say a word.

"Don't fall for it, Jan," Allen says to him. "He's not your friend anymore. He's not even human; now Leo's body is a weapon for the Millennium Earl!"

The Millennium Earl cocks his head to the side. "And who are you?"

"I am your enemy," Allen replies, his voice as cold as I feel.

Neither one of them has noticed me yet from my place crouched in the shadows of the cemetery gate. I still haven't seen Allen's face, but it is unusual to hear him sound so calm, so confident, when all I'd ever seen from him with death and blood, so much blood.

"Oh, are you an Exorcist?" the Millennium Earl bows mockingly. "Then it's a pleasure to meet you; the honor is…mine." His voice hisses like a snake's.

Allen doesn't respond; he has refocused his attention on Leo. The aura of light surrounding Allen's left arm suddenly increases, and a strange kind of cross pattern on the back of his left hand ignites in white fire. "My Cross, destroy this Akuma!" Allen cries as he rushes towards the Leo.

 _That must be his Anti-Akuma weapon. It's a part of his body, just like…_ I pause, feeling an odd kind of sensation in my chest.

Allen rushes towards Leo, clawed hand outstretched. "STOP!" Allen stops short, his arm still outstretched, but he is unable to move.

Jan had gotten between Allen and the boy that was once his friend, his stands before Allen, small and trembling.

"Jan!" Allen cries.

"No, you're wrong," the young boy insists. "There must be a mistake; Leo's my friend. He helps me patrol for Akuma, there's no way he could possibly _be_ one! Allen, you can't say things like that without having any proof."

 _Click._

"Kid, look out!" the words leave my mouth before I even register them.

Jan freezes where he stands, the barrel of one of the Akuma's many guns is pressed firmly to the back of his head. And there it is as the last shards of Leos' skin fall from it; the Akuma in its full form.

It is a huge, bulbous creature hovering a few feet above the ground; its body is a distorted egg-shape with an assortment of guns and stubby limbs sticking out on all sides at weird angles. But there is a face in the center of this monstrosity; a face as white as the moon above us, with black hollow eyes and a lolling mouth with a pentacle burned into its forehead.

"Careful now," the Earl purrs.

And then the Akuma opens fire. "No!" I scream and start forward before a pain suddenly smashes into my chest so hard it nearly knocks me off my feet. I stagger, fighting to stay upright as I glance up, and my heart drops into my stomach.

Allen stands between Jan and the Akuma, his arm gleaming in the moonlight before it suddenly retracts back to a more normal size in a shower of steam.

Jan stands there rooted to the spot, my own shock reflected in his face. "A-Allen?"

Allen glances back at Jan, smiling slightly before a series of black stars break out across his skin. I gasp, clapping a hand to my mouth; now I know where the pain was coming from.

Allen groans in pain as he collapses to his knees, gripping his left arm which is still smoking slightly.  
Jan rushes to his side. "Allen why did you do that? You got shot; Akuma bullets hold a deadly virus; you'll die!"

"Ah, how brave you are Exorcist to jump in front of the bullets to save the young boy. It's quite remarkable," the Millennium Earl muses. "However, Jan, I'm afraid you're turning out to be a terrible annoyance. While I admire your passion for justice, you're such a weak little thing with no understanding of who I am."

"Allen!" I scream as the young Exorcist falls to the ground in a curled heap. I rush over to him. I can't hold back anymore, even if every part of my body is shaking like a leaf.

Jan stares at me as I kneel down beside Allen. "Who-Who are you?"

"No one important," I reply as I hurriedly turn Allen over onto his back. The virus has spread fast: his skin is almost completely black with poison. "Hey, kid," I whisper, taking Allen in my arms. "Kid, come on, stay with me." Allen doesn't respond, his eyes are closed, and he doesn't move.

"Oh and who might you be?" the Millennium Earl inquires.

"Don't you remember me, Twat in the Hat?" I snarl, a thin red ribbon curling out from under my coat cuff. "It has been a while, but I thought I'd left quite the impression."

"Oh yes, of course," the Earl exclaims. "You're the Williams girl; you were involved in the incident with the Greenwoods."

"Yeah, and even though it's been three years since then, I'm still pissed about that." I turn to Jan. "Take your Exorcist friend and run, kid. I'll deal with this evil son of a bitch."

"Evil? Oh, now don't you think you're being a bit judgmental there?" the Earl exclaims. "How truly evil am I when all I'm doing is creating Akuma for all those that ask for it?" The Earl places a gloved hand on the Akuma that was once Leo. "Look at my work. Ugly, isn't it? This is the result of the sins of the human heart, Jan. If you thought Akuma were weapons that I fashioned by myself, you are sorely mistaken. They are produced by the darkness and torment of the human condition. This Akuma, for example, was born from your friend Leo."

"From…From Leo?" Jan whispers.

"He's right, Jan," I say to him. "The Earl tricked Leo into thinking he could revive his mother. Instead, used her soul to power this Akuma and forced it to kill Leo and wear his skin as a disguise."

"I...I can see her," Allen whispers faintly. Jan and I both look at him in surprise. "Leo's mother…she's suffering and in terrible pain."

Jan gasps quietly.

"You can see? What can you see, you little insect?" the Earl demands. "You're supposed to be dead."

Allen opens his eyes, and I'm suddenly looking at him face to face for the first time. It was a strange thing, seeing this face that had haunted my dreams for the last month and a half finally in front of me.

And yet here he was…dying. My blood pounds in my skull as fear rushes thickly threw me.

 _Is this is? Is this the dream? Is this where Allen dies?_ I close my eyes, mentally shaking myself. _Not if I have anything to do with it._

Allen looks up at me, his eyes are that same silver-grey, the left one marred by an unusual scar. "Who…Who are you?" he whispers.

"Don't worry about that, Allen." I reply as I hold out my pointer finger to him. "Just drink this."

Seconds later, a thin drop of crimson blood bursts from my pores; I tip Allen's head back and let the drops fall into his mouth. Allen coughs slightly before his whole body goes rigid. The cross on his left arm suddenly glows bright green and the glow consumes his entire body. Allen jerks in my grasp as the light intensifies, and the black slowly begins to drain away from his skin.

"What are you doing?" the Millennium Earl inquires.

Allen's eyes suddenly snap open, and he abruptly sits up. He glances down at his left arm as the glow diminishes, flexing it experimentally.

"The virus is gone!" Jan exclaims.

"The Innocence purified it," I explain. "It just needed my blood to kick start it."

"Those are a couple of unusual bodies you have there, Exorcists," the Millennium Earl declares.

"I am vessel for an Anti-Akuma weapon," Allen affirms. "I was born to kill Akuma."

"Impressive," the Earl jeers.

"It's a curse," Allen replies, slowly getting to his feet. I do as well and, upon doing so, I notice that Allen's left eye has changed: his sclera has blackened and his iris has turned red. "A long time ago, someone I loved became an Akuma because of me," Allen continues. "Because of his curse, I can now see the souls suffering inside the Akuma you make."

I remember the vision that I'd had on the street only an hour or so ago. _So, that was Allen's past?_

"Ah! I remember you now!" the Earl exclaims. "Yes indeed, I met you a long time ago, didn't I? You're Allen Walker. Aren't you the little brat that wanted me to bring his dead daddy back to life?"

I felt my stomach twist into knots, seeing Allen standing there, his cursed eye looking like it was bleeding shadows. _Allen…He turned his own father into an Akuma? He's just like…he's just like Emma._

* * *

A/N: And that's chapter 2, I hope you enjoyed, and please tell me what you think :) _  
_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for the reviews I received on the last chapter; they were very sweet :)

* * *

Chapter 3: Tombstone of Memories

* * *

It is a strange sensation.

Perhaps it is merely the milky light of the full moon illuminating the cemetery, but everything seems stark and alarmingly bright.

My senses are electric inside my skull, intensifying everything to its maximum degree. I can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I crouch on the ground beside Jan, my limbs tightening like coiled springs as I prepare myself for what I know comes next.

The Akuma hovers above us, a suspended ball of torment and misery as its creator, the Millennium Earl, stares down Allen Walker.

Allen stands a little in front of Jan and I, the eerie green-white light from his massive arm casts ripples of shadow across his face as he retracts it back to its normal state. I gasp quietly, not even realizing I've been holding my breath.

Jan, on the other hand, is breathing so heavily I think he might start hyperventilating. His small body is shaking like a leaf as he stares at Allen with a mixed expression of apprehension and even slight awe.

"Allen's father? He turned him into an Akuma?"

My nails chaff against the rough ground as I curl my fingers into fists; the Millennium Earl's words echo around inside my head: _Aren't you the little brat that wanted me to bring his dead daddy back to life?_

Allen closes his eyes. "No, Mana wasn't my real father, Jan," he says to the young boy. "I had been abandoned, for being born with this strange arm; Mana was the one who took me in, my arm didn't bother him, and he helped raise me. I remember, whenever I felt so tired that I fell down in the dirt, whenever I thought I couldn't possibly go on, Mana would say to me: 'Never stop, keeping walking'."

I feel something constrict in my chest and cautiously place a hand over my heart. _Was this Allen's feeling?_

"You see?" Allen continues. "Mana was the only one who taught me about living, what you _need_ to have to live, and how to take care of myself in the world. But," Allen falters somewhat, "When he disappeared and I was left on my own, I suddenly couldn't do it; I couldn't take care of myself anymore."

Jan gaps at Allen; I wet my dry lips. "Allen."

The Millennium Earl, meanwhile, looks on from beside his tormented weapon, that perpetually gleeful grin gleaming in the moonlight.

"I never really believed that Mana, my father could die," Allen whispers, "It happened so suddenly: the spoke on the wheel of a passing carriage broke, and it spun out of control. I tried to help Mana up, but he told me what he always told me: never stop, keep walking."

A single tear trails a solemn path down the side of my face; I touch my cheek in surprise _. How strange, I knew that my abilities were strong, but to this extent…_

"Mana was buried at the top of a hill outside of town, I was sitting besid _e_ his grave when _he_ showed up," Allen gestures to the Millennium Earl, who simply continues to smile his twisted smile.

I know what comes next, it's always the same: _I see you've lost someone you've loved very dearly, Emma. Your poor bab_ y _sister was taken from you far too soon, wasn't she? Would you like me to bring her back to life for you?_

I close my eyes. As much as I'd begged and pleaded, as much as I'd warned her after Lucy's death, Emma didn't listen.

 _Can you… Can you really bring, Lucy back?_

 _Would you like me to?_

 _Yes._

 _Alright. Then I need you to do something for me: all you have to do is call out your sister's name. Call out her name, and she will come back. It's as simple as that…_

And the same thing that happened to Emma happened to Allen. The poor boy was deceived by the Count of Time, the Eternal Tempter, and he turned his own father into an Akuma.

"I didn't know what I had done," Allen says. "How could I? But Mana knew, he knew all too well when I pulled him back from the grave into the Akuma's form, and he cursed me for it. He sliced my left eye with his Dark Matter body, and it's been corrupted ever since."

That scar…

"The Earl then ordered Mana to do what all newborn Akuma are ordered to do: to kill the person who had been tricked into reviving them and to wear their skin as a disguise. However, I was spared because of this arm, this arm became my weapon and it acted on instinct, killing Mana of seemingly its own volition. I destroyed him, a second time I destroyed my father's soul without even realizing it. But he wanted me to do it; that was the last thing he asked of me: for me to destroy him. He told me he loved me, and then my arm did just that: erased him from this world forever."

It is dead silent in the graveyard, almost as though the whole world has stopped what it is doing and begun listening to Allen, the small boy's voice echoing across the dark scape.

"And then my Master came to me, and he explained everything that had happened that day. Everything: what made up an Akuma, the evil of the Millennium Earl, and even what had happened to me: the mark that Mana had given me, this scar over my left eye, is the curse of the devil. This eye allows me to see the souls trapped inside the Akuma. It is what led my Master to me, and it is what has allowed me to become an Exorcist." As he speaks, Allen's left hand curls into a fist. "At first, I thought Mana was cursing me out of anger, so I tried to become an Exorcist so that I could atone what I had done to him, but as I encountered more Akuma, I realized something. They don't shed tears out of hatred, but out of the deepest love they feel towards those that turn them into Akuma. They weep knowing that we can never bear the pain!"

The Earl hasn't said a word during Allen's story; he just continues to stand there with his sickening smile unreadable.

"I knew that my fate was to be an Exorcist," Allen declares, "Not to atone for sin, but to live true to my calling here on this Earth. And this cursed weapon has been a faithful guide!"

At this, Allen's left arm is once again consumed in the same strange light green glow as it grows and elongates out to its full armored shape once more, pearly white claws glinting out of the darkness. "Akuma are tragic creatures," Allen says to the Earl, "They shouldn't have to suffer in this existence; therefore, I destroy them."

Finally the Earl speaks: "Allen Walker, I should have destroyed you long ago!"

He then jumps backward at a far greater speed than I would have thought his bulky frame would be able to muster; the Leo Akuma rushes to his master's aid, and the Earl perches himself on top of his twisted creation like some kind of ugly angel on top of a dilapidated Christmas tree.

"You can see the souls inside Akuma? You want to save them?" the Earl leers. "Go ahead, Exorcist. I want to see you try!" As he speaks, the Akuma's guns reload their deadly fluid and train straight at Allen and Jan and I huddled on the ground. "Take your best shot! But let me go first!" the Earl jeers just as the Akuma opens fire.

"Allen!" Jan screams as the bullets pepper the ground where the older boy stands.

I jump to my feet as dust and ash rain around me, temporarily obscuring Allen from view.

"Kid, you alright?" I call into the smoke.

"I'm fine," Allen replies as the clouds disperse. "I only took the bullets earlier because I was protecting Jan. This level of attack can't hurt me." He stands with his monstrous arm held in front of him, obscuring his entire form and blocking the deadly bullets.

The Earl growls in annoyance, seeing his target remains unharmed.

"The bullets didn't harm me before, so you think you can just shoot me to death? Don't underestimate me," Allen whispers as his arm flashes once more with that same strange glow. "You see once the Anti-Akuma weapon within me is activated, it exhibits superhuman strength and incredible speed; the Akuma's bullets and hard exteriors are no match for this arm: it is God's weapon, and it exists for the soul purpose of destroying yours!"

"What conceit," the Earl snarls, "Well then…" He holds aloft a frilly pink umbrella topped with a jack o' lantern.

" _Lero! Lero! Lero!_ " screeches the umbrella's pumpkin tip as a plume of violet light bursts from its top and a freezing wind slices through the cemetery, seemingly to cut through my body as I glance nervously around: something is coming.

"Do you know the old Eastern proverb?" the Earl jeers, "'He who fires in the end shall hit the mark'." There is a flash of blinding light, consuming even the moon itself and then a faint rumbling sound rising up from the silence, steadily growing louder.

I can feel my insides twist into knots as the great moon before us is suddenly eclipsed by dozens of dark shapes: it is the largest swarm of Akuma I have ever seen. "And with bullets like these, how can I miss? Akuma canons, fire!" the Earl cackles as the air is suddenly filled with the sounds of Akuma firing their guns directly at Allen, Jan, and me.

"Allen!" Jan screams as the air is consumed with dust and the ground breaks beneath us, smoke rises up from the explosions, once more obscuring Allen from view.

At the young boy's scream, the Earl rounds on him. "And you…you will die!" The Leo Akuma turns his gun on his former friend, and I can hear the click of the gun being loaded as loudly as a thunder clap.

"Kid, look out!" I scream, shoving Jan out of the way just as a swarm of bullets ricochet around us. Jan screams as I snatch him and hold him against my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut as I dash away from the shattering onslaught and haul Jan over to the safe shadows of the graveyard's far wall.

"Wha-What?" I open my eyes at Jan's confused whimpers. I glance down at him, but he isn't looking at me. Rather, he is looking at the large scarlet wing-like device that is curled around both our bodies, shielding us from the Akuma's attack. The crimson blade glints in the moonlight as Jan traces its path of origin to the large tear in my shoulder blade, and his mouth drops open when he realizes that the weapon has come from me, from within my skin.

"Stay here," I say to him, setting him down under a tree, "And keep your head down," I add before whirling around and leaping back into the fray.

My blood is a thunderous roar pounding in my ears as I rush headlong towards the Earl and the Akuma.

A flash of light seeps out from under my skin as the single scarlet wing elongates and curls around my shoulder, sharpening into a spiked spear, a second bursts out from the other shoulder blade and two smaller one grow from my forearms.

An Akuma spots me and turns to fire an attack, I leap out of the way just as a swarm of crimson burst from my shoes, tearing the leather but giving me the thrust I need to leap into the air towards the Akuma. It tries to fire at me again, but I twist out of the way and my right shoulder spear slices through the Akuma's tough shell causing it to explode in a burst of smoke.

As I flip through the air, I spot Allen gaping at me below. "No way, she has an Anti-Akuma weapon too?!"

I smile slightly in spite of myself as I slice through a second Akuma with the blade from my right arm and spin around just in time to alight on the top of the wrought iron gates of the graveyard.

"Ah, so another insect has appeared in the sky," the Earl exclaims, grinning his monstrous grin down at me. "No matter, soon you will be dead as well, girl."

The Akuma all turn the guns on me. "Oh shit!" I exclaim as I dive out of the way, twisting my body as the spear on my right shoulder blade stretches longer and stabs through the nearest Akuma.

I do a back flip and bring my foot down on a second Akuma, the red on my foot having hardened into another blade, and this one is also destroyed.

An explosion next to my head tells me that Allen has rejoined the fight as his arm shreds the Akuma to rivets.

The cemetery is no longer silent, it is alive with the sounds of chains being broken, the relieved screams of the souls as they are released from their torment. Life always seems to begin and end with so much pain.

"Look at them hopping all over the place," the Earl jeers, "Make them disappear!" he commands his Akuma, and they increase their fire power.

I jump to avoid a bullet, twisting my body at an awkward angle. Nearby, I hear a shout and the blunt sound of impact. In my peripheral view, I see Allen get knocked backwards and sent hurtling into the roof the cemetery's chapel where he lands with a crash and a shower of shrapnel.

"Allen, no!" Blindly, I drop to the ground and dash towards the chapel. As I do so, the spears of red protruding from my back liquefy and trickle to the ground behind me. I hold out my hand and a thin ribbon of more crimson springs from my finger tips and curls upward to latch to the chapel's ornately carved roof. I use it as a rope to pull myself up to the roof where I alight not very gracefully and spend a few precious seconds wobbling around for my lost balance.

Once I regain my composure, I rush over to where Allen is lying spread-eagle on his back with his monstrous arm still activated beside him.

"Allen! Allen, are you alright?" I cry as I kneel down beside him.

Allen's eyes flutter open. "Huh? Yeah, I'm okay."

"Perfect! You can die together," the Millennium Earl's voice booms over our heads just as another round of Akuma bullets flies directly at us.

"Hold on, kid," I mutter, throwing Allen haphazardly over my shoulder and jumping from the roof. Debris ran down all around us as we plummet to the ground; at the last minute, another ribbon of red springs from my free arm and winds around a lamp post, slowing our descent and giving me to time I need to lightly land by the cemetery gate as the remains of the chapel crash down around us.

I glance around. "Jan! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I hear the small boy whisper from his hiding place behind the tree. I can see his huge blue eyes glinting at me out of the shadows like twin lamplights.

Behind me, Allen begins to stir, seemingly to get a grip on himself again.  
"You gonna be okay, kid?" I ask him.

"I'll live," Allen replies with a groan, sliding off my back.

"We need to destroy these Akuma ASAP," I murmur through gritted teeth. "If we don't, the whole town will be at risk."

Beside me, I see Jan's eyes widen, tears brimming in them as they turn towards the Akuma that I assume to have once been his friend Leo, although I have lost track of him in the fray.

Meanwhile, Allen jumps back into the fight, and I make a move a to follow, but Jan suddenly grips my coat sleeve, holding me back.  
"I-I thought we knew what we were doing," he whispers, tears pouring thickly down his face. "I thought that Akuma were just a fun thing to talk about; I never gave any thought to what they really are. I was the one that told Leo about Akuma, and I made him go on patrol with me." Jan pauses to sniff heavily. "He knew the Millennium Earl was evil; he knew it! So, how could-how could he? Was he so shocked by his mother's death that he forgot? Was the pain too hard for him?" Jan grinds his teeth as he coils his hands tightly around my wrist. "Leo!" he suddenly cries, raising his head to the Akuma drifting in the sky, "Did you miss her so much that you had to do this to her?!" he drops his eyes, "I don't have Allen's eye," he whispers, "So I don't know if Leo's mother is really suffering. I can't see, but it's awful. I-I'm sorry, Leo. I never thought about Akuma has once being real people who are made to suffer, who become the Millennium Earl's toys…forever."

His grip is so tight on my arm now I think he might cut off my circulation, which, in my case, would be impressive. "Please!" the intensity in Jan's voice catches me off guard as he looks up at me with his wide, flooded eyes, "Please, destroy him. Destroy Leo. Release him from his suffering. Please!"

I don't respond to his pleas, I simply pry my arm from his grip and turn around to rejoin the fight. As I do so, my entire arm becomes coated in that same red substance until it has become an armored monstrosity not unlike Allen's own weapon. I focus my attention solely on the Akuma Jan had indicated, the one the Earl is perched atop of.

"I'm sorry, kid," I whisper, "I'm so sorry."

I slowly raise my arm and then propel myself forward; with a cry, I leap into the air and slice through the Leo Akuma; the creature shatters after the single hit, and the Earl is unseated so that he has to unfold his pink umbrella in order to remain airborne.

"It's done," I whisper as the remains of the Akuma evaporate into smoke. However, I barely have time to reflect before a blinding pain ignites in my shoulder as a stray Akuma bullet strikes me in the back. My red-armored arm disintegrates into a scarlet puddle as I fall from the sky and collapse on top of a tomb. Alarm bells are going on in my head as my vision is consumed with fireworks. My whole body aches, but my shoulder especially, and I can feel the fire of the poison slowly creeping along under my skin.

"Agh, fuck," I snarl as I slowly shift into a sitting position. I can feel my blood begin to war with the venom, the twisted battle for my body as the fire and water clash inside my skin. I grit my teeth as an acidic feeling rises up in my throat before I open my mouth and wretch. A black inky substance pours from my lips and splatters across the top of the tomb, burning familiar black pentacle markings into the worn stone. _Who's ever grave this is, I'm so sorry._

I glance up just in time to see Allen standing on top of a mausoleum, holding his clawed arm aloft. "I'll finish this off in one blow!" he announces to the Earl. He then rushes forward and leaps into the air, the aura of light around his weapon shining in the moonlight as it seems to grow even larger. "I will be your salvation!" he yells to the Akuma as he brings his arm down in the middle of the swarm.

There is a sound like a lot of glass being shattered at once as a series of glowing, cross-like imprints sear into all of the Akuma's bodies before they all explode like a series of ash-colored fireworks.

I jump up from the tomb and rush over to Jan, who is huddled on the ground gawking up at the display above our heads.

"This is not good, _Lero_!" the Earl's pick umbrella chirps, "Level One Akuma are no match for this one, _Lero_!"

"We'll take our leave, for now," the Earl calls down to Allen and me, "But, make no mistake, we'll be back."

Allen rushes forward, "Earl!"

"Oh yes, these exciting exercises have merely been a prelude, my boy. As we speak, Akuma are continuing to evolve all over the world, and the ground work is being laid for an end of the world spectacular. Behold, I am the Millennium Earl, the maker of Akuma; the one who will defeat your disgraced and powerless God and destroy this pathetic world with my weapons! No matter how hard you Exorcists writhe and struggle, you will never be able to save yourselves. Never! Ha ha ha!"

I grit my teeth, "We'll just see who gets the last laugh in the end, you twat!"

Cackling madly, the Earl's shadowy form is slowly swallowed up into the moon, leaving nothing but silence in his wake.

"We'll see, next time," Allen whispers before he suddenly keels over.

"Allen!" Jan screams.

"Shit, not again," I add as we both rush over to him.

"Allen! Say something," Jan sobs as we drop to our knees beside his motionless form, "Open your eyes!"

"It's okay," I say to him, "He's alright, just a little bruised and over-exhausted. He'll be fine."

"Oh, Allen," Jan sobs, burying his face in the other boy's chest. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey," I call to him. Jan slowly raises his head to look at me with a perplexed, tear-stained expression. "It's okay."

Jan's eyes widen before he quickly wipes his nose on his shirt sleeve. "What-What do we do now?"

"C'mon, help me with him," I say of Allen as I throw one arm over my shoulder and instruct Jan to do the same. "Let's get him to hospital. We need to get out of her before the police arrive. We've probably made a lot of noise."

"Who are you anyways?" Jan inquires as we quickly haul Allen out of the cemetery. "Are you a friend of Allen's?"

"My name's Cas," I reply simply, "and, yeah, I guess you could say that."

* * *

 _This isn't weird, right? I'm just making sure he's alright. It's not weird. It…Yeah, it's weird.  
_ However, I'm not given much time to ponder whether sitting beside Allen while he sleeps in his hospital bed is creepy or not because at that moment the boy wakes up.

"Hey kid, glad to see you're awake," I say to him. Allen looks up at me, and his grey eyes widen in surprise. "Gotta admit, you had me worried there for a second," I add.

"It's-It's you," Allen exclaims, trying to sit up, but suddenly gripping his head, seemingly dizzy.

"Hey, take it easy," I urge him; "You had a nasty bump to the head, and the doctor said not to do anything rash until it's healed properly."

Allen looks at me. "You…Who are you?"

I smile slightly in spite of myself. "Sorry, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," I stick out a gloved hand to him. "Cassandra Williams, but you can call me Cas."

Allen stares at my hand for a second before gingerly shaking it. "Nice to meet you, I'm Allen Walker."

"Yes, you are."

Allen blinks at me, surprised. "You…You know my name," he whispers, "In the graveyard, you said my name even though we've never meet before. Who are you?"

"Hey, easy, kid," I exclaim, holding up my hands in mock surrender. "You're right, we haven't met before, at least not in person, but I do know your name because, truth be told, I've been dreaming about you every night for the past six weeks."

Judging from Allen looking at me like I had three heads, I'm guessing I probably could have explained that a little better.

"Sorry, but what are you talking about?"

I sigh, "Right. Sorry, I'm not good at explaining stuff like this, but do you know what an empath is?"

Allen slowly shakes his head. "No."

"Okay, look, an empath is what I am: I possess the ability to connect with people's minds, usually through my dreams and often with complete strangers. These dreams I have," I stare down at my hands as though I'd suddenly found something very interesting about them, "They allow me to glimpse images of a person's past, present, and sometimes eve their future."

Allen stares at me, "And you've been having these dreams about me?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"How should I know? I'm empathic, not psychic."

"What are they about?"

My whole body goes rigid, "What do you mean?"

"The dreams, what are they about?"

I close my eyes, "Nothing really," I quickly explain, "I just see you; I see your face and hear your name, that's it."

Allen looks perplexed, but he doesn't press further. "So, is this a part of your Anti-Akuma weapon then?" Allen inquires, pointing at my arm. "I saw that you have one."

I shrug. "I guess, I mean I suppose there's a correlation between the two, but I don't suppose that arm of yours can make you see through walls or something," I glance down at Allen's shriveled left limb lying on the bedspread, "By the way, yuck."

"So what is your weapon exactly?"

I smile. "It's this." I hold out my arm and a thin ribbon of red suddenly slithers out from under my sleeve and waves itself in Allen's face. The kid pales, "Is that…"

"The average human being produces about two thousand gallons of blood per day," I calmly explain, "I produce about fifty times that amount, which enables me to use the extra blood and harness it as a weapon. I can manipulate every drop in my veins, shape it into blades or spears, make it cold enough to freeze substances, or hot enough to make something melt. Basically, my blood can do anything and everything I want."

Allen shrinks back against the pillow. "That's disgusting!"

I blink, "Yeah, I guess it kind of is." I quickly snatch a paper cup from the bedside table and feather the blood thread into the cup where it softens to liquid once more.

"But what are you doing here anyways?" Allen continues.

"Same as you," I reply, setting the cup back on the table. "I'm heading to the Black Order to become a proper Exorcist."

At that moment, the candy stripper nurse enters, wheeling a trolley laden with food.

"And, on that note, I'll leave you to it," I declare, getting to my feet as the nurse pushes the cart of food up to Allen's bed. "The doctor said that you'll be able to be released tomorrow morning and then you can be on your way. So, uh, see ya, kid."

"Wait!" Allen calls as I turn to leave, "Since you're here, why don't we just head to the Black Order together?"

I pause in the doorway. "Sure, why not." I reply, turning around to face the boy with a smile. "I suppose I can wait around a little while longer."

Allen grins, "Great."

I try to make my smile as much of a mask for my nervousness as possible as I quickly slip out of the room.  
In the hall, I pause to lean against the door, cycling the events of the night over in my mind.  
I glance back at the door to Allen's room, "I hope you're as important as these dreams imply, kid. I had to sell my underwear to pay for your hospital bill."

* * *

"Now, Jan, I don't want to hear about you stirring up any more trouble, alright?" I demand of the young boy. I'm sitting on a bench outside the hospital, top hat on and lit pipe in teeth. Jan is slumped beside me, his skinny legs swinging as he scowls up at me.

"I know. You don't have to keep reminding me." He pauses when he sees my expression soften.

"Good luck to you, kid," I say, clapping him on the shoulder.

Jan grins, "Thanks." He suddenly jumps up from the bench, snatching up the satchel on the seat beside him.

"Where are you off to?" I inquire.

"I'm going to school, of course," Jan exclaims. "I need to study hard if I'm going to go work with my dad someday at the Black Order. I've still got a long way to go."

I grin. "Good on ya, kid."

"Oh, here," Jan fishes around in his satchel before producing a small, crudely wrapped parcel. "When you get to the Order, give this to my dad, and tell him to wait for me. Okay?"

I nod, tucking the parcel into my coat. "Of course."

"Thanks. See ya!" Jan calls, waving as he turns and scampers off.

"Bye, Jan. Good luck," I call after him.

At that moment, Allen exits the hospital. "About time," I exclaim, dousing my pipe, picking up my periwinkle suitcase, and getting up from the bench. "I was just about to leave without you." I pause, seeing Allen is staring at me rather intently. "What?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Allen mentally shakes himself. "It's just, you remind me of someone I know."

"Do I?" I quirk a brow. However, before I can ask him who it was I remind him of, a flash of gold and feathers suddenly explodes in front of my face. "Gah! Oh my God, is that a bug!" I shriek, staggering backward and flailing my arms wildly.

Allen laughs, "No. It's Timcampy." He holds out his hand and a small creature alights on his fist. It's about the size of a tennis ball, bright gold with a pair of tiny feathered wings and a little tail. A cross symbol is emblazoned on the creature's front.

I stare at it "Timcampy?"

"Yeah, he's my golem," Allen explains.

"So, this is a golem?" I exclaim, leaning closer to get a better look.

"Yeah. Have you never seen golems before?" Allen inquires.

"Just sketches," I reply simply before shrinking back as a row of rather sharp teeth suddenly unfolds around the golem's middle like a set of huge jaws.

Allen chuckles. "It's okay. It just means he likes you," he explains as the golem lifts from his hand and flies up to tenderly rub against my cheek.

I laugh nervously, "Uh, good boy, Timcampy." I turn back to Allen. "We should probably get going. We don't want to miss our train."

"Oh, right," Allen agrees.

"Well," I reach into the pocket of my coat and pull out a sleek, gold-topped cane from its dark recesses, "Let's be off."

Allen gaps. "How did you?"

"Another one of the perks of my blood is, if you sew it into clothes, you have virtually bottomless pockets," I explain as I slap my cane against the ground and turn to stride towards the gate. "Now, come on, let's get going, creampuff!"

Allen hangs back a moment. "Creampuff?"

* * *

"Hey, Cas, can I ask you something?" Allen pipes up as we sidle down the aisle to our seat on the train.

"Sure, what do you need, kid?" I ask as I attempt to squeeze past a particularly crowded spot. Allen follows with ease; as he's about four inches shorter than me; he's a lot more nimble.

"I was just wondering how old you are," Allen replies.

I pause to give him a sharp smirk over my shoulder, "Don't you know it's impolite to ask a woman her age?"

Allen goes beet red. "I'm sorry," he quickly stammers.

"Nah, its fine. I'm seventeen."

"Oh. I'm fifteen," Allen replies.

I pause, causing Allen to nearly walk into me. "Really?"

"Yeah. Why? Do I look older?"

"No. I thought you were like twelve," I reply as we finally reach our seats, and I collapse into the spot by the window, setting my suitcase down on the spot next to me.

Allen, looking noticeably wilted, sits down across from me. I lean my elbow against the window sill, resting my chin on my hand as I study him thoroughly.

He's not all that bad looking really, now that I'm seeing him in person. He's got a full face, the scar doesn't retract from the more handsome of his features, and his eyes are kinda pretty; I can't say much of his body under all those clothes, however, and the hair is a little off-putting.

"So tell me," I pipe up. "Is there a reason you look like a powdered doughnut? I mean, is it a birth defect or are you trying to make a statement?"

Allen stares at me. "What?"

"I'm talking about your hair, kid."

"Oh." Allen runs his fingers through his messy locks. "I don't really know; I mean, it used to be red when I was little, but then it turned white not long after I destroyed Mana." He falters slightly, "My Master thinks it's a side effect of the curse."

I tap my chin thoughtfully, "That's right. You mentioned this Master of yours before; he's the one who taught you how to fight Akuma. Who is he exactly?"

"Oh, he's name's Cross Marian," Allen explains, "He's one of the Generals of the Black Order."

"WHAT?!" I cry so loudly that Allen flattens himself against his seat in surprise. "Cross Marian is your Master? That bastard is seriously still alive?" I cross my arms with a huff. "Huh, who would have thought?"

"I take it you know him?" Allen asks cautiously.

"Well, not exactly," I admit, "I mean, I met him once, but I was just a little kid then. You see, my grandmother, Audrey Williams, was one of the Order's Generals too, but that was a long time ago and she's been retired for about fifteen years. However, when she was in her prime, she had an apprentice and that kid was Cross Marian."

Allen gaps at me. "Are you serious? So, your grandmother is my Master's Master?"

"Seems like it," I muse. "Huh, small world."

"So then it must have been your grandmother that taught you how to kill Akuma," Allen infers.

I wince, "Not exactly. I mean, don't get me wrong, I had heard about Akuma for as long as I can remember; my grandmother made certain that I had as much knowledge of them as possible. However, about three years ago, I encountered an Akuma for the first time in my hometown, and my Anti-Akuma weapon activated on instinct and killed…it. After that, my grandmother kicked me out of the house and told me not to come back until I'd become a full-fledged Exorcist of the Black Order."

Allen looks unnerved, "That's kinda harsh."

I shrug, "She's a firm believer in tough love, that and percussive maintenance."

"So, what did you do?"

"My grandmother instructed me to go to the home of a Theodore Hermenshire; he was a former Black Order Science Division operative who is now too blind and lame to work. Even though he didn't hunt Akuma, he knew loads about them and taught me everything I know. He trained me up until a few weeks ago when he wrote a letter to my grandmother saying my training was complete. Immediately, she wrote back and told me to go to the Black Order, enclosing a letter of recommendation for me to give the Chief Officer." As I talk, I untwist the handle on my cane, and it pops off to reveal a hollow inside where a worn and weather-beaten slip of paper is neatly rolled up inside.

Allen nods, "I see. My Master wrote a similar letter to the Black Order European Branch Headquarters and sent it ahead of me."

"Where is your Master now anyways?" I inquire, twisting the top back on to my cane.

Allen shrugs, looking rather uncomfortable. "I don't know," he mutters, "A few months ago, we were in India, and he suddenly told me that it was high time I went to the Order and became a proper Exorcist. When I asked if he was coming with me, he said 'I'd rather lose my thumb than go back there'," Here Allen makes his voice sound gruff and slurred as though the person speaking was drunk. "Then he knocked me over the head with a wine bottle and disappeared. I haven't seen him since."

I stare at Allen, unnerved at the offhand way he put that last statement. "Um, right."

"I suppose you and I are in a very similar situation," Allen adds.

"Yeah, I guess," I reply, leaning back against the chair.

At that moment a huge clap of thunder suddenly knocks against the train, rattling the window panes and shaking it on the tracks.

Allen and I both jump to our feet and whip around; seeing no threat, we glance at each other and immediately break into peals of nervous laughter.

"I guess we're a little tense," Allen observes.

"Can't say I blame us," I reply, settling back down into my seat and propping my feet up on the spot beside me. "All the same, I think I'm going to get some shut eye," I lean back against the window just as the rain begins to splatter the glass, pulling the brim of my hat down over my eyes, "We won't be arriving at the Order for a while yet."

I glance at Allen under my brim to see he is still standing rigid, his gaze fixed outside at the soaking sky.  
"Hey, get some sleep, kid. Lord knows, we've got a big day tomorrow."

Allen glances at me and scowls. "Would you stop calling me 'kid'? I'm only two years younger than you."

My only response is to press a finger to my lips, "Shhh."

Grumbling under his breath, Allen settles down in his seat, and , not long after that, we are both sound asleep.

* * *

A/N: Allen and Cas have finally officially met, and we now know more about Cas's Anti-Akuma weapon. However, there is more to her Innocence than she is willing to let on.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews. Here's Chapter 4!

* * *

Chapter 4: The Black Order

* * *

"Allen, hold still. Ow!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Stop apologizing and give me a boost!"

Allen grunts as he heaves me further upward; I grip the rim of the ledge and haul my body the rest of the way. I slump down on the plateau with a groan, panting heavily. _Cripes, I'm outta shape._

"Cas, are you alright?" Allen calls from below me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, still breathing heavily. I glance over my shoulder at Allen's small body dangling hazardously from the edge of the massive black cliff we are currently scaling.

His form is beginning to fade out of focus as the fresh cloud of mist that had been steadily brewing on the horizon continues to press in around us.

Allen looks up at me, his silvery eyes like twin pinpricks in the gloom. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I reply, mentally shaking myself, before I turn back around and grip the rough, black rock.  
 _Don't look down. Don't look down._

We are miles up now. The air feels as thin as wet paper.

Beneath me, I hear Allen gasp and the rough scraping of his hands clawing at the cliff.

I squeeze my eyes shut. "Kid, you alright?"

"I'm fine," Allen calls back, his voice slightly shaken. "And don't call me 'kid'. It's Allen!"

I cautiously open my eyes and shift my position to be able to move further upward. "Are you sure Timcampy is pointing us in the right direction, kid?" I ask.

"Master Cross said that Timcampy would guide me to the Black Order. He hasn't steered me wrong this far."

I glance up at the tiny winged creature fluttering through the ash-colored mist above our heads.

I sigh, "Well, it has been a few hours since I last threatened my life." With that, I paw upwards for another handhold, but my hand instead grips a large hole chiseled into the cliff side.

The sound of rustling and high-pitched shrieks fills my ears.  
"Kid, watch out!" I cry just as the air is consumed in a swarm of inky black bodies and frantically flapping leather wings.

The bats explode out around us. I shout several curse words and flatten my body against the side of the cliff, gripping the surface so hard my gloves rip. Below me, I suddenly hear Allen scream.

"Allen!" I twist around, and my arm shoots out just as Allen loses his balance and tumbles downward towards the ground miles below.

I gasp, my blood pounding in my skull as I grip the wall of the mountain with one hand, the other coiled in a vice-like grip around Allen's ankle. The poor kid is dangling absurdly a few inches out from the cliff's edge, several miles above solid ground.

The golem Timcampy flutters frantically around his master's head as though trying to help in some way.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

Allen makes a kind of choking sound. "Yeah, I'm okay," he gives me a sideways glance. "You're stronger than you look."

"And you're heavier than you look," I grunt, feeling my arm start to give. "Can you find a handhold?"

"Uh, right," Allen twists around suddenly and paws at the space in front of him.

I wince. "Allen, that is not a handhold," I say through gritted teeth, fighting to keep my voice even.

"I'm sorry. Just, give me a sec." Allen insists, his hand tightening around my inner thigh is soon joined by the other one.

"Okay, you can let go of me now," Allen cautiously says.

"My pleasure," I reply bluntly, slackening my grip without hesitation, only to be given the pleasure of Allen coiling his legs around my neck.

If anyone had told me six weeks ago that I would be hanging by one arm off the side of a mountain with Allen Walker hanging upside down on my body, his arms wrapped around my thighs, his legs around my neck, his head between my legs... I would have shot them.

"Allen, what the actual fuck do you think you're doing down there?" I snap.

"I know it's awkward, Cas, but I was upside down!" Allen cried. "What was I supposed to do? Try to right myself in midair?"

I scowl, but otherwise relent. "Fine. For your sake, kid; you better not be enjoying this."

"Uh, right," Allen mutters as he shifts his legs and attempts to try and twist himself around.

A sudden wind pushes against the side of the mountain, scattering the mist and Timcampy, and knocking me further into the cliff side.

 _The Black Order better be worth all this fucking trouble._ I close my eyes, trying to douse my fuming mood. _Great, just great. I guess I'm just supposed to sit here and let this guy climb all over me like some kind of bizarre spider sex. And it's not in the least bit hot._

Allen kicks his leg against my chin, jerking me from my thoughts. I growl through gritted teeth as he knocks a small pack loose from my breast coat pocket.

"God damnit," I hiss as I spot my box of matches tumbling down into the dense fog out of the corner of my eye.

"What?" Allen asks.

"Nothing," I glance down at him, "You're more trouble than you're worth."

"Hey!"

"Now, would you get off me?"

"How?!" Allen demands

"Think of something."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe use you're giant-ass arm?" I snap with barely suppressed sarcasm.

"Oh! Right," Allen exclaims before adjusting his body so that he can detach his left arm from one of my legs; there is a flash of light and then Allen's arm has grown to its full size and sunk its claws deeply into the cliff beside me.

Allen then unwraps his legs from around my shoulders and swing his body around so that he is right side up again and now beside me instead of below me.

"Well, that's more like it," he declares, giving me a nervous smile.

I glare at him. "Come on," I finally say, heaving myself further up the cliff.

"Do we have much farther to go?" Allen inquires.

I glance up, the top of the mountain is still shrouded in a dense layer of fog. "A bit farther, yeah," I reply, my voice heavy with sarcasm.

Allen gulps. "Who in their right mind would build a Headquarters in a place like this?"

"I don't know," I reply through clenched teeth, "But if anything else happens before we make it up there, I'm going to shoot something," I glance down at him. "And you just cost me an entire box of matches, so it's probably going to be you."

* * *

Finally, after much more scraping, scrambling, slipping, and swearing (mostly from my end), Allen and I finally make it to the top.

Allen heaves himself over the rim of the plateau first before turning to grip my arm and hoist me the rest of the way up. I scramble awkwardly before collapsing gratefully on the flat surface, not even bothered by the uncomfortable feeling of my periwinkle suitcase strapped on my back.

"Thank God for that," I exclaim, raising my head, only to see Allen gawking up at something. "What?"

I follow his gaze and then I see it. A thick twisted mass of overgrown trees as dark as ink in the late-night air have sprouted up into a tangled forest on the top of the cliff and, reaching towards the heaven's at it's very center, is a massive black tower, all rows and sleek edges dotted with hollow windows that looked out at the pale stars like empty eyes.

"Holy shit," I breathe.

"We finally made it," Allen exclaims, "Exorcist Headquarters."

"The Black Order," I whisper.

Befitting to its name, the Black Order looms over us like a foreboding storm cloud.

Allen winces, "Creepy."

"Well, let's get going," I declare, hoisting myself to my feet. Allen doesn't move; he's still staring at the tower. "Kid, come on."

Allen gulps again, "You know I've heard about these Headquarters before, but-how do I put this?-I'm getting a spooky feeling about this place."

"Yeah, you and me both," I say with a grin, holding out my hand so as to help Allen to his feet, "I wonder if Dracula's home."

"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Allen replies. "Well, here goes nothing."

With that, he strides towards the gate with me following close behind.

The closer we get to the building, the more intimidating it becomes. It casts a long, deep shadow across the entire mountain top, and Allen and I are soon covered in it as well. I shiver; it gives me the feeling of drowning in ink.

The entrance to the Black Order Headquarters is a massive black gate with what looks like a face carved in the center; it's easily the height of four cathedrals stacked on top of each other and about as wide as the entire block of my hometown's Main Street.

Allen and I stare up at the gate, craning our necks so we can catch a glimpse of the top.  
"That is a big ass gate," I muse.

"Yep," Allen agrees.

"Allen, go knock on the door," I whisper.

"No, you go knock on the door," Allen protests.

"No you" I shoot back.

"Fine. Rock, paper, scissors," Allen declares, holding out his fist.

"Ugh, okay," I relent.

"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!" Allen holds up two fingers while I hold up my flat palm.

"Scissors cuts paper," he declares happily.

"Screw you," I grumble before trudging reluctantly up to the massive door. I pause in front of it for a few moments before slamming my fist against the door a few times.

We wait a moment, but nothing happens.

"Open the door," Allen offers. "Maybe we can just let ourselves in."

"Uh, there's no handle," I say to him.

"What do you mean there's no handle?"

"I mean there's no handle. Look," I point at the door, which was indeed lacking a certain opening mechanism.

"I guess someone has to let us in," Allen surmises. "Maybe if we make enough noise someone will-"

"Hey!" I shout before he can finish. "Anyone home?!"

"Hello?!" Allen adds. "Can someone let us in?"

No response.

I huff, "Well, this is just peachy."

"Maybe everyone's asleep?" Allen offers.

"Oh hell no, I did not just scale a gigantic mountain of death to be left stranded outside so someone can get their beauty rest. OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" I pound my fist against the hard surface.

Allen shrinks back, "Cas, maybe not so loud."

"Well, what do you suggest we do?" I demand.

"Ummm," Allen steps up to the gate, "Hello?" he calls, "My name is Allen Walker, I was referred here by General Cross Marian. My friend and I are here to request a meeting with an executive!"

Still nothing.

"This is getting ridiculous," I gripe, "I'm about two seconds away from busting this door down."

Allen winces, "I'm not sure if that's a very good first impression, Cas."

I glare at him, "And how exactly did _we_ meet again?" I remind him.

Suddenly, there is a great groaning sound that reverberates throughout the entire mountaintop, Allen and I both whip around in time to see the face in the center of the massive gate open a pair of swollen white eyes and train them directly on us.

We both scream.

"HMMM?" Without warning, the face stretches forward so that it is mere inches from me.

"AUGH!" I jump backward, pushing Allen in front of me, "Take the small one; he's tastier!"

"TIME FOR AN X-RAY SCAN TO DETERMINE IF YOU'RE HUMAN" the Gate booms, a strange light filtering out from its eyes like car headlights.

Allen and I both flinch back as we are consumed in the bright light as the Gate's large eyes bore into us. As it stares us down, it's bulbous face pulls into a confused expression, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS THING? I CAN'T GET A READING," it mutters.

"Huh?" Allen and I exchange a glance.

Suddenly an alarm sound blares out from the Gate's eyes, and it lets out a blood curdling scream. "FAIL!" it wails, "THE BOY HAS THE MARK OF EVIL ON HIS FACE!" the Gate screams as what appears to be milky tears of fright pour down its face, "THE PENTACLE IS THE MARK OF THE AKUMA! HE'S AN AGENT OF THE EARL; HE's GOING TO KILL US ALL!"

I stare at Allen. _Oh, right…scar._

"Wait, you've got the wrong idea!" I cry, rushing up to the Gate. "We're human!"

"THEY'RE SPIES! A SPIES!" the Gate continues to sob, ignoring my protests.

Suddenly, a black-cloaked figure jumps down from the shadowy rafters of the tower and lands not two feet from where I'm standing.

I stagger back in surprise. "Oi! Could have yelled 'incoming'."

The figure doesn't respond as he straightens up, and the light of the full moon illuminates him in its milky glow. He has a very handsome, almost pretty face, with stern coal-black eyes and long deep blue-black hair pulled back into ponytail. He is dressed in a long black coat framed in intricate patterns of white and silver.

"Coming here with just the two of you?" he snarls as he holds up a katana, "You are either fearless or stupid."

"Wait!" Allen cries, holding up his hands, "I think there's been a misunderstanding!"

However, Ponytail ignores him, "Mugen, unsheathe!" he cries as his blade slides from its holder in a burst of brilliant, yellow-white light. Allen and I both gap in shock momentarily dazzled before Ponytail rushes towards us, the sword afire with the light as he brings it down right on top of us.

"Get back!" Allen cries as I dive to the left and he slides backward. However, Ponytail catches the move and maneuvers his sword so that it comes down on Allen's arm, which has instinctively activated.

"Allen!" I cry, hearing him grunt in pain.

Allen staggers, his face twisted in discomfort as he stares down at his arm where a thick gash has ripped open the palm. "He damaged my arm," he whispers.

"Hey, dick!" Ponytail barely has time to turn around before threads of my own Weapon coil around his entire body. I use them to propel myself forward, pushing my body against his and tackling him to the ground.

I straddle my body across his hips, the ropes of my blood holding him in place as I press a small blade protruding from my wrist to his throat.

The guy glares up at me, his cold eyes shining with pure malice. _Damn, he'd actually be really hot if he wasn't trying to kill me._

Trying to ignore Ponytail, I glance up at Allen. "Kid, run!"

"Don't bother," Ponytail replies with a laugh. "His arm will explode in a few seconds."

"What?"

Using my surprise to his advantage, Ponytail heaves his body to the side, knocking me from my perch on his pelvis and untangling him from my web of blood.

I am sent sprawling across the dirt. "Do not think you have gained the upper hand, Akuma," Ponytail declares, using his katana to hoist himself to his feet.

"For the last time, we're not Akuma," Allen snaps. "We're Exorcists, and this is my Anti-Akuma Weapon," he holds his left arm aloft.

"Yeah, maybe you should try listening before you start swinging your shiny toy around, eh, Hot-Stuff?"

Ponytail's eyes widen in surprise before they turn into a scowl of annoyance. "Gatekeeper," he rounds on the face in the gate which is still simpering.

"BUT THE BOY HAS A PENTACLE ON HIS FACE! JUST BECAUSE THEY SAY THEY'RE HUMAN DOESN'T MEAN THEY ARE. I'D RATHER BE SAFE THAN SORRY," the Gate whimpers.

"I am human, you idiot!" Allen exclaims, hopping up and down on the spot, "I'll admit that I'm cursed, but I'm an Exorcist. I swear."

Ponytail smirks, "The only way to know for sure is to cut you open!" he announces as his sword is once again consumed in light, "Prepare to be slaughtered!" he cries as he rushes towards Allen.

The poor kid flattens himself against the Gate. "Wait! I am human; I can prove it!" he cries, but Ponytail ignores him.

"Kid, get down!" I cry as Ponytail thrusts his sword directly at Allen's face. I jump to my feet and lunge forward.

Ponytail freezes, the tip of his katana just grazing the end of Allen's nose. His steely eyes flash to me with a look of seething hatred as I stand with one arm wrapped around his neck; the other now completely covered in a blood blade, pressed to his neck. "Take one more step and I slice you to rivets," I snarl.

"Please, just stop," Allen begs, "There should have been a letter sent ahead of me written by Master Cross himself."

Ponytail glares at him, his sword still poised not an inch from the boy's face. "A letter…from the General," he sounds unconvinced.

"Uh, yeah," Allen is fighting to keep his voice even, "It was addressed to some guy named Komui."

"And I have a letter too," I add, "It's in my pocket. I'll get it out if you promise not to shish kebab Allen."

"I'll make no such promise," Ponytail snarls.

At that moment, a voice suddenly blares out of seemingly nowhere. "Kanda, stand down! We found the letter, the kid Allen Walker is not an Akuma. Repeat, he is not an Akuma. Stand down."

We all glance upward towards the dark building behind us.

Allen looks so relieved he might collapse.

Ponytail, or rather Kanda, grunts in acknowledgement, and his sword ceases glowing, although he doesn't lower it. I don't lower my own blade either, and we all awkwardly stand there.

I take the moment to inspect Kanda further. He appears to be in his late teens and of Japanese descent, which is cool because I never saw an ethnic person in my sleepy little country town.

He also really is _very_ pretty, like a super model or something.

"FINE. OPEN!" the Gate suddenly announces, causing all of us to spin around just as the two halves of the gate on either side of its face slowly lift up like the portcullis of a castle with a great thunderous roar.

Allen and I gape at it for a second, before Kanda shoves his sword in Allen's face again, causing the kid to tense up and not look away a second time.

"Congratulations, you two, you've been given permission to enter," announces another voice over seemingly the same loud speaker as the first voice.

Kanda glares upwards, "Hey, Komui, mind filling me in?"

"Sorry about that," the voice chirps in an oddly upbeat manner, "Their story checks out, the boy is Cross's apprentice."

"What about the girl?" Kanda demands.

"I don't think you're in any position to be interrogating me, Pretty Boy," I snarl, pressing my blade more firmly into his throat.

"It's alright, Kanda, you can let them go now," the voice continues.

"Please, please, please," Allen whimpers, having gone practically cross-eyed in order to keep his eye on Kanda's sword.

Kanda looks in no hurry to lower his weapon, but it didn't matter because at that point he got smacked in the head with a clipboard.

 _Wait…what?_

"Kanda, stop with the macho head games," snaps a voice.

I glance around to see a girl standing next to Kanda, a _very_ pretty girl. She's got the skin of a porcelain doll and the figure to match; her legs are polished alabaster for the gods, and her long, silky green hair pulled back into twin pig tails shines in the starlight. Her deep purple eyes are no-nonsense as she glares at Kanda.

"It's okay; you can let him go now," she adds to me.

"Huh? Oh, right," I realize I am staring and quickly drop my eyes as I retract my blade, letting it fall into a puddle at my feet.

"Now, all of you get inside before I close the Gate," the girl adds.

Kanda stalks off ahead of us, grumbling under his breath. Allen and I exchange a glance before we follow him and the girl through the Gate.

It slams behind us with a resounding 'boom', and we find ourselves in a spacious courtyard.

As soon as we cross the threshold, Kanda turns to leave.

"Hey, no fond words of farewell?" I call to him. He pauses and glares at me over his shoulder. I shrug, "Alright then, see ya around, Boy Toy. Maybe I can ride you again sometime," I add with a wink.

Kanda goes crimson with rage, and he looks like he's about to run me through when Allen pipes up.

"Uh, Kanda…Please, tell me I got your name right," Kanda turns his attention to him, showing no increasing interest. Unperturbed, Allen holds out his hand to him. "No hard feelings?"

Kanda glances down at Allen's hand. He snorts, "What fool would shake your hand knowing that you're cursed?" With that, he turns and stalks off.

Allen looks after him, a mixture of horror and shock on his face.

I whistle, "God, what an asshole."

"Oh, don't worry about him," the girl replies dismissively, "He's been a little tense since he got back from his last assignment."

I turn to her, "And what's your deal, Legs?" I ask her.

"I'm Lenalee Lee, Chief Komui's assistant," she explains cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you both. Now, come on, the Chief is waiting to meet with you."

With that, she skips off. Allen and I look at each other, bewildered, before we both unstrap our suitcases from our backs and follow her.

Lenalee leads us out of the courtyard and into the main building of the Black Order Headquarters. The interior is as intimidating as the exterior, consisting of long drafty halls draped in shadows, lined in ancient-looking pillars and stoic guards standing at attention with sharpened spears.

As we walk past, the guards mutter to each other.

"Look at the new guys."

"The boy looks like he's twelve years old."

"Yeah, but he's hair's pure white."

"Rumor has it, he's cursed."

"Speaking of hair, did you see the girl? I've never seen hair that red before."

"And her face is awfully flushed."

I tried to ignore the whispers as Lenalee leads Allen and I further down the hall.

I watch her as we go. _God, those legs! And that ass! Is being attractive a job requirement around here?_

I jump when Allen suddenly grabs my arm. "Cas," he hisses.

"What?"

"I can't believe we're really here," he whispers, "The Black Order."

I smirk at him. "Same here."

"Come on you two. Hurry up!" Lenalee calls.

Lenalee then proceeded to give us a tour of the Headquarters. There is a bright, high-ceilinged room lined with long wooden tables that serves as a mess hall, three floors worth of training areas, a lounge covered in black and white stripped coaches, there is also a sanatorium, a library, and a dormitory for the staff.

"If they're not on assignments, this is where Exorcists spend most of their time," Lenalee explains. "In fact, most of them learn to call Headquarters home."

Allen smiles, "That's nice. It's like a family."

I snort into my ripped glove. _Talk about cheesy._

"Well, every once in a while someone does get fed up and leaves," Lenalee adds.

Allen winces. "Just like Master Cross."

"Where is General Cross, anyways?" Lenalee inquires of him. "Last we heard, he was in India somewhere."

Allen stiffens. "Yeah… about three months ago."

Allen then relays to Lenalee the same story he'd told me on the train, involving General Cross running off and a wine bottle to the skull.

"So, you're Master knocked you unconscious and ran off?" Lenalee exclaims.

Allen sighs, "Yep."

"And what about you?" Lenalee asks, turning to me. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"It's Cas," I reply. "Cas Williams."

Lenalee raises an eyebrow. "Williams? As in General Audrey Williams, former General of the Black Order."

My shoulders slump. "That's the one." I don't like to think of my grandmother much, it usually makes my head hurt.

"Where are we now?" Allen inquires as we pause in front of a large carved door.

"I'll let my brother answer that," Lenalee replies, pushing the door open.

"Welcome!" exclaims a voice, the one I recognize as being the same one from outside. It's owner is a tall man with rather sharp but pleasant features hidden behind a pair of square glaces. He has deep purple hair that is chopped off at the shoulders and mostly hidden under a floppy white beret. He is dressed all in white with a blue coffee mug with a pink bunny on it in one hand. "I am Komui Lee, Chief of the Science Division!" he announces.

"Uh, nice to meet you," I stammer.

"Oh, charmed," Komui agrees, shaking my hand so roughly I thought it might fall of. "Now, I believe you have a letter for me," he adds.

"Letter? Oh right," I exclaim, patting myself down. "Uh…cane." I then reach into my pocket and pull out my cane, much to both Lenalee and Komui's amusing alarm. Unscrewing the top, I pull out the tightly rolled, faded, yellow envelope.

I hand the crinkled piece of parchment to Komui, who peers at it curiously over the rim of his glasses.

'Now, let's see," he muses as he opens the envelope and unfolds the yellowed letter:  
"Dear, Chief Komui Lee,  
I am writing to you on behalf of my granddaughter Cassandra Williams. She has been found to be a compatible Accommodator and a skilled Exorcist who has trained for several years. I believe it is high time she be handed over to the Order, so her skills may be used to their fullest potential. I do believe she has the capacity to be a worthy Apostle of God.  
Signed,  
Former Order General Audrey Williams  
P.S. Tell Cas: "Don't screw up."

I wilt under the last line. _Same old Gram._

"Well, this is just splendid," Komui exclaims, tossing my letter aside like a stray gum wrapper and throwing her arms around my shoulders while I tense in alarm. "it's always so great when the offspring of former Exorcists come home to roost."

"Uh, thanks," I mutter, catching a glimpse of Allen grinning at me over Komui's shoulder.

"On behalf of the Science Division, I'd like to welcome you both, and sorry about the trouble earlier. What a pain!"

Speaking rapidly, Komui leads us through the door, down a set of spiral staircases into a cavernous room lined with dozens of bizarre contraptions that all seem to glow strange colors and make weird noises. Dozens of men and women dressed similarly to Komui are rushing about the computers, most of them casting us curious glances as they go.

"Now then" Komui continues, pausing at the bottom of the steps to turn to Allen and me. "I need to conduct a physical examination of you both, just in case. And I understand that your arm was damaged in that scuffle with Kanda earlier," he adds to Allen. "Why don't you go first, and I'll take a look at it."

Allen nods, "Alright," he grips his left hand, and I can see the limb is trembling slightly as well as an ugly white gash running across his hand. _Ouch._

I suddenly clap a hand to my mouth, feeling a familiar burning in the back of my throat.  
"Excuse me. Where's your bathroom?" I ask.

"Oh, just down the hall on your left," Lenalee replies.

"Thanks," Trying not to look conspicuous, I turn and hurry down the hall to the closest bathroom.

I quickly shut the door behind me and race over to the toilet. My whole body heaves as a torrent of blood spews from my mouth. I gasp, choking on my own fluids as it pours from between my lips and streams from my noise.

It seems to last forever, and for a moment, I'm certain I'm going to suffocate, but the flow stops as soon as it came, and I'm left gasping over the toilet, struggling for breath.

My whole body trembles as I place a hand over my mouth, feeling burning blood coat my fingers. With a groan, I quickly wipe it away before pushing myself to my feet and staggering over to the sink.

I stare at my reflection in the foggy mirror; I look a mess. My hair is tangled and coated in a fine layer of dust and grime, my face is covered in scratches and smears of mud. There are tears in the knees of my suit pants, my gloves are ripped to shreds and underneath my hands have been rubbed raw and are caked with blood.

With a sigh, I tug of my gloves and run my hands under the sink water, the cold feeling good on my chaffed skin. As I turn off the water, I pause to adjust my sleeves and then I catch a glimpse of intricate black lines peeking up from under the cuffs.

I pull back my sleeves to reveal two words tattooed on my forearms. The left forearm had the word _Never_ and the right had the word _Forget_

 _Never Forget_

I stare down at the words, intricately looped across my skin.

"I never will, Emma. I promise."

Then I hear Allen scream.

My head snaps up, fear rushing through me like flood gates being opened.

"Allen!" I tear out of the bathroom and take off down the hall back towards the examination room. Lenalee is waiting outside, seemingly engrossed in something on her clipboard.

"Legs!" I call to her. "What's going on? What's happened to Allen? I heard him scream."

Lenalee blinks at me, surprised. Then she smiles, "Oh, don't worry. My brother just gets a little carried away some times."

I gape at her. "Carried away? It sounds like he's being tortured!"

At that moment, the door opens. Allen staggers out, looking worse for wear, with his arm in a sling.

"Kid!" I cry as he collapses onto a bench beside the door.

"I'm never gonna break my arm again," he groans.

I whirl on Komui. "What did you do to him?"

"A simple operation really," Komui replies dismissively, "His arm had some slight nerve damage, that's all. Easily fixed."

"What's wrong with him then?" I demand. "He looks like he's been hit with a train."

"It's just the anesthesia," Komui replies, "It'll wear off in a couple hours, but he won't be able to use his arm until tomorrow morning."

I glance over at Allen, who is looking rather green.

"Don't worry," Komui reassures me, "Your boyfriend will be fine."

Allen's head snaps up, and I feel my face go up in flames. "What?! Oh no, he's not my-we're not."

"We only met yesterday," Allen adds.

"Oh I see," Komui muses, pushing his glasses further up his nose, "I only assumed…Well, no matter. Now then, come with me Cas; it's time for your physical."

I shrink back from him. "Hell no. Get away from me."

"Oh don't be a sissy. Go on," Lenalee insists, lightly knocking me in the back with her clipboard.

I stagger forward into Komui's examination room, and he closes the door before I can turn back around.

The examination room is a small space that looks like the examination room you'd find in a typical doctor's office. There's a bright light hanging from the ceiling in the center of the room, and the walls are lined with cabinets filled with medical tools and supplies.

"Now then, please sit down," Komui gestures to a cot in the center of the room.

Hesitantly, I oblige.

"Now, open your mouth," Komui commands. I do so, and he presses a glass thermometer to my tongue. "Hmm, temperature is reading normal," he declares after a minute, "Although, you look rather feverish."

"I always look like this," I reply simply.

"I see. Now, open your mouth and saw 'ah'."

Komui then proceeds to check my throat, my eyes, my ears, my blood pressure, my muscle coordination, my posture. It was very much like the check-ups I got from the pediatrician as a kid.

"Well, everything seems to be in order, at least with your human organs," Komui declares as he finishes shining the light in my eyes. "You know it's strange, from this close-it might be my imagination-but you look just like...Well, never mind." Komui mutters to himself as he turns to fumble with something behind him.

"What are you doing?" I inquire, craning my neck in the hopes of being able to see.

"Now, on to the matter of your Anti-Akuma Weapon," Komui exclaims with a flourish as he holds aloft the biggest fucking drill I have ever seen. It was the size of Allen!

"What the hell!" I exclaim, shrinking back against the cot.

"Don't worry. It won't hurt…much," Komui insists, revving the drill up.

I wince. _No wonder Allen screamed._

"Now, if you would just indicate where your Weapon is, I can make a proper examination," Komui announces, a mad gleam in his eyes he revs the drill louder.

"I can't do that," I exclaim. "My Anti-Akuma weapon is my entire body."

The drill stops suddenly. Komui stares at me, surprised.

I curl my fingers into fists. "I'm not like Allen. My Anti-Akuma Weapon is not a single part of my body, it's everything. It's _in_ everything. It's the very blood that pumps through my veins. I live and breathe my weapon."

Komui regards me thoughtfully. "So, like Allen you are a Parasite-type."

"A what?"

"There are two types of Exorcists," Komui explains, "The rarer of the two are known as Parasite-Type Accommodators who possess the Weapon inside their bodies rather than having it as an object like Equip-Type Exorcists."

"I see," I muse. "So Allen and I are both Parasite-Types."

"Indeed," Komui smiles as he lowers the drill. _Thank God_. "Both you and Allen are among a chosen few, destined to wield a power far greater than any we can imagine."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Komui smiles mysteriously. "Come. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

* * *

"Are you okay, kid? You look like you've been through the ringer," I say to Allen, who is kneeling on the floor looking as though he is doing his best not to be sick.

I'm sitting beside him atop a gigantic floating platform shaped like an upside down pyramid. Komui stands at the control panel in the center, piloting this strange device further down into the dark bowels of the building.

As we descend into darkness, Komui addresses us.

"Allen, Cas, as Parasite-Type Accommodators, you are both a part of the chosen ones who can best utilize the power of Innocence."

Allen and I stare at him. "Innocence?" Allen asks.

"What's that?" I add.

At that moment, the platform ceases its descent. We are in total darkness, but not for long as a series of strange lights suddenly jump to life.

"God's Innocence to be exact, the unbridled power of omnipotence," booms a voice.

Allen and I get to our feet and turn around to see the strange lights are vaguely illuminating a raised platform above our heads. On the platform are a series of carved thrones and sitting on each throne is a figure draped in hooded robes so thick and dark that nothing of their features can be seen through the gloom.

"I don't understand," Allen says.

"Me either," I add.

"Once again, God has graced us with His presence," a second of the hooded figures adds.

"The Great Generals," Komui explains, "These are the people we answer to: the highest authority in the Black Order below the Vatican itself." He turns to Allen and me, "Now show them how worthy your abilities will be towards the cause."

Before either of us can say anything, a strange feeling suddenly rushes through my body, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Allen yells just as several translucent arms worm their way around his body and lift him off the ground.

"Allen!" I yell, whirling around to see him slowly being taken into the arms of…I don't even know.

"What the hell is that thing?" I gasp. The creature is the only light amidst the black void of the Order's lowermost circle. It swims through the inky shadows like a fish in a dark pool; its entire body seems to be made of a strange pale blue light. It has no skin, no organs, no blood, or bones; it's all just the same light, flowing material. Tentacles and arms drift out from its monstrous form and what appeared to be some kind of a head has blossomed at the top. The creature turns its eyeless face towards me.

 _"Be still,"_ it utters through feminine lips, _"I shall not harm him."_

Although I'm scared out of my wits, for both Allen and myself, the voice seeps into me and I suddenly feel at ease. The creature's voice is calm, wise, and undeniably female which gave it a motherly sort of feel to it.

I slowly sink to my knees in spite of myself.

Allen meanwhile continues to squirm in the strange creature's grasp. "What are you doing?" he cries as the being wraps its many arms around Allen's arm.

 _"Show me your Innocence,"_ the creature whispers.

"Stop it!" Allen cries. "Komui!" Shocks of light leap up from his left arm as the creature's coils tighten around the limb.

"You're wasting your strength," Komui calls to him. "That arm will be useless until tomorrow. So, what do you think Hevlaska? Does this Apostle of God meet your standards?"

Allen thrashes around within the creature, who I could only assume was Hevlaska's, grasp. "Come on you stupid arm, activate!" he cries through gritted teeth.

Pain tingles on the edge of my dull nerves as Allen's arm suddenly elongates, although there is no light, and the shape is twisted and incomplete.

Allen's whole body is rigid, heavy with pain; the useless limb droops at his side.

 _"Never activate your Weapon when your nerves are damaged,"_ Hevlaska advises, _"Relax. I am not your enemy."_

From my position on the floor, I watch Allen go limp in Hevlaska's grasp. "Kid…"

Hevlaska then presses her forehead to Allen's and a strange light sparks between them.

 _"16%...33%...54%...61%...82%"_

And then the light dies. _"It appears that 82% is the maximum Synchronization reading between you and your Innocence",_ Hevlaska says to Allen, gently caressing his left arm with one of her tentacles.

"What's Synchronization?" Allen asks.

 _"The number indicates the level of power your Anti-Akuma Weapon will have,"_ Hevlaska explains, _"The lower the number, the more difficult it will be to activate your Weapon and the more at risk you'll be for permanent damage."_

As she speaks, Hevlaska gently lowers Allen to the ground. _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. The only way I can get a proper reading on your Innocence is through touch."_

She then turns to me. _"And now for you, Cassandra Williams."_

"It's Cas," I correct her, slowly rising to my feet and holding out my hands, "Alright, let's get this over with."

Slowly, Hevlaska's tentacles coil around my arms and gently lift me into the air. I can feel her presence flow around me, and it's the strangest feeling I've ever experienced. I feel hot and cold at the same time, my body shakes as this bizarre sensation surges through me. My blood churns under my skin, frothing like a river full of rapids. My insides turn as I spiral through Hevlaska's form.

 _Holy shit._

It is like I can feel everything: a being that has lived a hundred years, a being that has long since forgotten what it was like to be human; a being who has served the Order faithfully these long years and who can see the turn of time, but do nothing to stop it. A being alone in a crowded world…

 _Hevlaska, this is…you._

 _"Fascinating,"_ Hevlaska muses, _"An empathic Innocence, a connection can be forged to anyone else that happens to possess Innocence,"_ Hevlaska glances at Allen, _"A connection has already been formed with this young boy."_

I can feel Hevlaska's power coursing through me. My body is going mad: my organs feel like they're on fire, my blood floods through my system.

I can barely breathe.

"Cas!" I hear Allen cry as I feel blood pour from my eyes in twin streams like tears, a third trails from the corner of my mouth.

Through my clouded vision, I can see Hevlaska's eyeless face staring down at me. _"I see your Innocence, it is-"_

"Please don't say it!" I cut her off. "I know. Please, you don't have to say it."

 _"Very well,"_ Hevlaska relents before slowly lowering me back onto the platform.

I collapse beside Allen, who runs to my side where I crouch gasping and wiping blood from my eyes and mouth. "Cas, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I reply.

Allen turns to Hevlaska. "What exactly can you learn from our Innocence?" he demands of her.

 _"Allen Walker,"_ Hevlaska declares, _"In the future, when Darkness dominates this planet, your Innocence will produce an extraordinary Destroyer of Time."_

"A Time Destroyer?" Allen whispers.

 _"And you, Cas Williams,"_ Hevlaska turns to me, still huddled on the floor, _"You shall be a medium: a builder of bridges between the two worlds, one of Light and one of Darkness. Anger and Serenity shall be your guide. Your Innocence shall produce a Creator of Space."_

I gawk at her "Huh?"

Komui starts clapping. "I have no idea what that means, but it sounds amazing!" he exclaims, "Hevlaska's prophecies are cryptic, but they're also true. Congrats, kids! This means we can officially trust you."

Allen rounds on Komui and throws a punch in his direction. Komui manages to block it with his clipboard, which snaps in half under the force of Allen's fist.

"Mind putting that down so I can hit you?" Allen growls.

"Relax. It's our policy. Innocence scans are a requirement for all new recruits."

"That's something I think we both would have liked to know as soon as we walked in, Four Eyes," I snap, getting to my feet and crossing my arms over my chest, "So, is there anything _else_ we need to know about?"

"Like this Innocence for example," Allen adds.

Komui slowly lowers his clipboard. "Well, I was about to explain it to you." He pauses to push his glasses further up his nose, "What I'm about to tell you is secret, information only known to the Black Order and to those involved with the Millennium Earl. It all started around a century ago, when a golden cube was discovered within the Earth. Written on it where the following words: 'To the future inhabitants of Earth, we are the ones who defeated the Darkness, but our world soon fell into ruin. This message is a warning to avoid the cataclysm of disaster we have endured. Heed our words. We have little time left.' What we found inside the Cube," Komui continued to explain, "Was a prophecy from an Ancient society older than Rome or Greece or even Egypt. It also contained a set of implicit instructions."

"For what?" Allen asks.

"For the material the Cube is made of," Komui continues, "It's called the God Crystal. It's power is astonishing, and it's what we prefer to call Innocence. The material embedded in your left hand and your blood is made from the God Crystal. Anti-Akuma Weapons are Innocence that has been processed into a usable form. The original wielders of the Cube used this power to battle and destroy the Millennium Earl thousands of years ago. However, the Earl's influence had corrupted the earth so greatly that God was forced to flood it."

"You mean Noah's Flood in the Old Testament?" I ask.

Komui raises an eyebrow, "You've read the Bible, Cas?"

"Cover to cover."

"Yes, this was the Great Flood. However, the prophecy referred to is as the Three Days of Darkness."

"But it was forty days," I try to correct, but Komui goes on.

"The Cube's prophecy also says that the world will come to an end once more at the hands of the Millennium Earl."

Allen and I both gasp in unison. _So, the world really is going to end?_

I turn to Allen who looks pale as a ghost. I don't feel particularly good myself; it is like an icy hand has closed around my heart.

"As predicted, the Millennium Earl has returned to this world," Komui continues, "The Black Order was created to avert the coming disaster."

"The Cube instructed us to 'Gather Apostles, gather Accommodators, without Accommodators Innocence is incapable of activating'," one of the Generals speaks from their position on the platform.

Almost on instinct, Allen grips his left arm and my hand goes over my chest.

"These Accommodators the General's speaking of are Exorcists," Komui explains, "However, to counteract the power of the Exorcists, the Millennium Earl created Akumas to hunt them down. At its most basic level, Innocence is created from Light, while Akuma's are created from Dark. As the Akuma do his dirty work, the Earl scours the Earth for pieces of Innocence to destroy." Komui pauses to lean against the platform guard rail. "As far as we know, there are 109 pieces of Innocence scattered around the world. Now, it's our duty to collect these pieces before the Earl does. If we fail to do so, it will lead to the annihilation of the entire human race. Allen, Cas, we need your help."

"If we are unable to win this Holy War, the Cube's prophecy will become a reality," one of the General's declares, "And the world as we know it will cease to exist."

"You must fight!" another adds.

"This is your destiny as one's who were chosen by Innocence," the first concludes.

Allen and I stare up at the Generals' shadowed faces. For once in my life, I'm at a loss for words.

However, Komui's expression softens. "I'm looking forward to working with both of you," he says, holding out his hand, "Just know that the pay is awful."

Allen smiles, and I laugh.

We both then shake Komui's hand. "Welcome to the Black Order," he says. "Now, most of our Exorcists aren't here; they're currently stationed in places around the world on assignment, but you'll meet them before long. And the perk of coming together is that you at least know one other Exorcist."

Allen and I grin at each other.

"And Hevlaska is an Exorcists as well," Komui adds.

Allen and I both turn to the strange being in surprise.

 _"I have been around a long time,"_ Hevlaska explains, _"As Guardian, ever since the Black Order was established a century ago. Allen…Cas, may God's divine protection be with you both."_

Her words seem to echo throughout my entire body, sinking deep into my skin and into the depths of my boundless blood.

* * *

After our session with Hevlaska, Lenalee lead Allen and I to our assigned rooms. After a crazy night, I am dead tired; a sleeping bag on rocks would have looked good to me right now.

What I get instead is a small, but quaint little space. The walls, floor, and ceiling are all a simple grey stone. There is a window across from the door with a bed on one side and a wardrobe on the other. A small table stands next to the bed and there is a desk on the other side of the door with a private bathroom beyond that.

"It's nice," I declare, striding into the room and setting my suitcase down on the bed, "A little plain perhaps, but I can soon fix that."

I then open my periwinkle suitcase and deposit the contents onto my plain black bedspread. I don't have much in the way of clothes: just a simple white nightgown, an extra white dress shirt, a pair of dressier shoes, and a few pairs of socks. I remove my top hat from the top of the pile, which I'd removed before Allen and I began climbing the cliff and go to hang it on a hook on the wardrobe door. i fish around inside my coat pocket and the produce my pipe; hoping for a smoke, I begin digging around for matches but then remember Allen had knocked my box off the cliff.

 _Damn kid_. I put the rest of my clothes inside the wardrobe and then turn back to the bed to empty out a black bag of other odds and ends.

There's a toothbrush, a pack of playing cards, some marbles, dozens of bottles of nail polish, several bottles of ink, folds of tissue paper, a crushed poppy flower, an old ring with a ruby in the center, a small pink stuffed rabbit, and finally a framed photograph.

I pick up the latter and gently brush aside a few flecks of dust from the glass. The photo is old and worn, but still clearly depicts the image of two young girls around seven or eight swinging from the branches of a gnarled old oak. One is undeniably me, with the same golden eyes, perpetual blush, and scarlet hair, although her it is clipped to my chin. I was wearing a pair of worn leather shoes, trousers with suspenders, a white button down and a newsboy cap. The girl dangling from the branch beside me had pink cheeks, a round face, wide brown eyes, and golden hair swept up into an elegant bun and tied with a red ribbon, which matched the crimson dress she wore that was hemmed in mood from an afternoon of playing in the brook.

Emma. Just as she was, the single image of her frozen in time. Happy, smiling…Alive. Those smooth hands, those coffee-colored eyes, hair the color of the sunset.

I remember running my fingers through it, watching the way her dark eyes twinkled in the moonlight.

I feel a twinge in my insides and the ghost of a tear on my cheek.

Quickly I dump the contents of the bag onto my desk, but the picture I tenderly set on the bedside table beside my pillow.

The memory stares back at me through the faded glass.

"Never forget, Emma. Never forget."

* * *

A/N: What Cas does to Allen in front of the Gate is exactly what my friend did to me when a wasp got into the classroom XD. And Cas is a bit of a flirt, have you noticed? And if you're confused on Emma, don't worry; all will be explained in good time.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this chapter is a little late this week.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Ghost of Mater

* * *

There is blood, blood everywhere. I am drowning in it, drowning in a lake of crimson. Never ending darkness descends upon everything and, in the distance, I can hear him screaming.

"Allen!" I thrash around, grasping, clawing, fighting desperately to break free. He's so close to me, his small body slipping below the surface as his arms flail helplessly above his head.

"Allen! Please, Allen!" I scream, trying to grab at him, but he slips out of my reach once again, disappearing into the scarlet depths. "Allen, no. Allen! Please, don't leave me…DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"

 _Bang!_

"Gah!" I sit bolt upright in bed, twisted around in a tangled mess of sheets. I stare around the room, bleary-eyed, as I try to remember where I am. _What was it that woke me up?_

 _Bang!_ I hear the noise again, and quickly trace its source to the window. Outside, the sky hasn't changed much since last night: it is still covered in a thick blanket of steel grey clouds, and the sound of the wind rattling against the window gives the impression that another storm is approaching.

However, it wasn't the wind that had woken me up; rather, it was a small golden creature furiously battering against the glass.  
"Timcampy!" I exclaim, jumping out of bed and yanking the window open to let the little golem in. Timcampy flaps into the room, looking a little worse for wear. "Aw, did you get locked outside?" I coo. Timcampy bears his fangs in a toothy grin as he nuzzles my cheek.

I laugh. "Alright, cutey. Hang on a sec, I'm just gonna go get dressed."

Timpcampy almost seems to nod as he flutters over to perch on my top hat that is resting on my desk chair. I stare at him in bewilderment before shrugging and heading into the bathroom for a shower.

After my shower, I dry and curl my hair, then apply my make-up; finally, I tug on my black, red-trimmed suit, complete with top hat.

As I finish dressing, I am itching for a smoke. Timcampy seems to be watching me intently as I rifle through my belongings in a vain search for a stray match. _I wonder…Do golems even have eyes?_

My hand brushes against a roughly-wrapped package at the bottom of my suitcase, jerking me from my thoughts. I pull the object out and see that it is the package Jan Russell had given me to give to his dad. In all the craziness of yesterday, I had completely forgotten about it.

"Hey, Tim," I call to the golem still watching me from its spot in the corner, "What do you say to a trip to the Science Division?"

* * *

A short time later, I am standing in the doorway of the Science Division's main office; compared to the sprawling floors filled with massive and intimidating machinery that I had seen downstairs yesterday, the main work area is actually a very small, cramped space consisting of floor to ceiling bookshelves on every wall and a long table in the center that is covered in a cluttered mess of paperwork. Sleepy-looking employees in starch, white lab coats mill about the clutter, marking off pages and organizing files. As I observe the room, I am alarmed to find that most of the Science Division members are actually quite young, some not much older than me.

 _Has God really filled the ranks of his Holy War with such children?_ I muse to myself as I stride into the room, Timcampy perched on my shoulder. I walk up to the edge of the table where a young man with spikey dirty blonde hair and goatee is dozing beside a giant stack of books.

"Um, excuse me," I clear my throat pointedly.

The man glances up at me; there are heavy bags under his eyes as though he hasn't slept properly in weeks. I know the feeling. "Can I help you?" he mutters.

"Yes, I'm looking for Chief Reever Wenhamm," I reply, "I was told he's the one in charge."

"Well, you came to the right place," the man exclaims, sitting up properly and holding out his hand to me. "I'm Chief Wenhamm, but you can call me Reever. You're one of the new recruits, aren't you? Cassandra, right?"

"It's Cas," I correct, shaking his hand.

"Alright, Cas. What can I do for you?" Reever inquires.

"Actually, I 'm looking for Jake Russell," I explain.

Reever arches an eyebrow, "Why do you want to talk to him?"

I hold up Jan's package, "I have something for him."

Reever shrugs, "Alright, he's over there." He points in the direction of a massive pile of books clustered around the far corner of the table.

I stare at it, "Over where?"

"Over there," Reever repeats.

I squint at the stack of books and can just barely make out a crest of honey brown hair poking up from amongst the pile. "Oh, I see. Thanks," I say to Reever before weaving my way through the crowded space.

"Um, hello?" I peer over the stake of books and am greeted by the face of a stern-looking man with slightly disheveled light brown hair and goatee. He glowers up at me over the rim of a pair of wired spectacles.

"What do you want?" he snaps.

"Jake Russell?" I try.

"Yes. What is it?"

"Um, I'm Cassandra Williams," I shift the package under my other arm and hold out my hand to him, "I'm new."

Jake Russell scowls at my outstretched hand. "Listen. I'm very busy," he declares pointedly. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue my work without you wasting my time."

"Hang on a second," I interject as he starts to turn from me, "I have something for you," I hold the package out to him. "It's from your son."

Jake Russell raises an eyebrow. "Jan sent it?" he asks, taking the package from me.

"Um, yes, but you probably shouldn't open-" I start, but it's too late. Jake Russell tears away the paper, and the room is suddenly consumed in a cloud of yellowish, foul-smelling smoke.

Everyone coughs and covers their eyes with their paperwork. I clap a hand to my mouth and choke, my eyes beginning to water as the scent of onions fills the room. Timcampy, meanwhile, scrambles into my shirt collar in an attempt to escape the cloud.

"That's one stinky bomb," Reever calls from the other end of the table as the smoke swirls around us.

Jake Russell grunts in disgust, holding up the shriveled remains of the activated onion bomb. "If this onion toy is the best he can manage then he's still got a long way to go."

I smile in spite of myself, "Funny, that's what Jan said too."

Jake Russell turns towards me, his eyes wide with surprise. I grin at him. He regards me seemingly thoughtful for a moment before the corners of his lips turn up into something not unlike a smile.

He sets the toy down and quickly dabs his eyes as the cloud of onion-scented smoke finally begins to disperse. "Is he crying?" one of the other Science Division members asks.

"Sure looks like it," another replies.

"Well, there's something you don't see every day!" pipes up what appears to be a mint-colored ghost with black 'Xs' for eyes that is hovering in the corner.

"Quiet!" Jake Russell barks at them. "I got onion in my eye. It hurts!"

I chuckle to myself, but then he whirls on me. "And you! I heard all about you. I wasn't aware that the Order was permitting improper Exorcists to act on their own like that."

I shrink back slightly under the force of his icy stare, but it suddenly melts away, "All the same, my son was saved because of you and that Walker boy. Thank you."

I blink at him in surprise before my smile returns, "Of course."

Jake Russell than turns to the other Science Division members, "Let's try to get this portion done quickly," he gestures to the monstrous stack of paperwork in front of them all, "I think I need to take a few days' vacation to go visit my son."

I suppose my eyes probably should be misting here, but I touch them to find there as dry as a bone. "After all, it doesn't seem terribly fair that you're the only one to get a good scolding," Jake Russell adds to me, "I've got a little bit left for Jan as well." He winks at me.

My grin widens. "Sounds good," I declare, before turning and heading out of the room, "Tell Jan I said 'hi'," I call over my shoulder as I exit the main office and step out into the hall.

Once there, a curious sight meets my eyes. Allen Walker is hanging over the railing, waving a feather duster around like a magic wand. "Here, Tim, Tim, Tim. Here boy!" he calls, swishing the duster through the air.

At the sound of his master's voice, Tim wiggles his way out from under my collar.  
"Hey, kid," I call to the young Exorcist.

Allen stumbles, nearing falling over the railing. "Cas!" he exclaims, whirling around, his face flushing as he realizes how silly he probably looks. "I was just… Uh…"

I gesture to Timcampy hovering by my shoulder, "Loose something?"

"Tim!" Allen exclaims, holding out his arms, so the little golem can fly into his gloved hands. "There you are. I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"I take it he got away from you?" I say with an amused smile.

Allen nods, "The latch on my window's loose; I guess he snuck out while I was still sleeping."

"I think he got locked outside," I surmise, "He was tapping at my window, trying to get in."

"He really likes you," Allen observes, letting the golem flutter out of his grasp and rub against my cheek again.

"Yeah," I agree, stroking the tiny creature fondly.

"So, uh… I was just about to head down to breakfast," Allen pipes up, "You wanna come?"

I grin, "Of course! I never miss the opportunity for food."

* * *

Breakfast is already fully underway when Allen and I enter the crowded mess hall. Almost every table is full of various people, all clothed in seemingly the same attire consisting of beige-colored smocks. Allen and I maneuver through the crowd of cheerful talking and eating until we come up to the ordering counter.

"Alright, keep those orders rolling in now!" exclaims a bombastic, feminine voice. Behind the counter is a tall, thin, Indian man with hair roped into tight purple dreadlocks and wearing a pair of dark shades. I jump back from the counter in alarm, but Allen doesn't get away fast enough. "Hey there! You must be the new guys!" the man exclaims to us, leaning deep into Allen's personal space. "Oh my God, you're such a cutie patootie!" the man adds to him.

"Uh…How do you do, sir, my name is Allen Walker," Allen exclaims, bowing slightly.

"Oh! Everyone, check out the manners on this one," the man exclaims, "What a gentleman! And what's your name, pretty thing?" he adds to me.

I blink, "Oh, I'm Cas Williams. You're the chef I take it," I add, noting the man's white chef's uniform and frying pan clutched in his hand.

"Sure am!" the man replies brightly, "The name's Jeryy. So, Allen, Cas, you hungry?" Jeryy asks, eagerly leaning forward across the counter, "I can cook you anything you want."

"Absolutely _anything_ I want?" Allen exclaims.  
Jeryy nods.  
Allen smiles, "Alright then, I'll have baked potatoes, chicken fries, and rice pilaf, tofu, beef stew, meat pies, Carpaccio, fried rice, fried chicken, a Caesar salad, some strawberry scones, a Korean barbeque, miso soup, and white rice! And for dessert, I'll have mango and sticky rice with an order of mitarashi dango…Oh! Make that twenty!"

Jeryy, who had been hanging on to Allen's every word, regards him in bemusement, "Uh…You sure you're gonna be able to eat all this?"

Allen nods, "Sure, and I might even be back for seconds."

Jeryy's look of confusion quickly melts back into his previous enthusiasm. "My, my, what a treat you are! I can't wait to cook up all these lovely foods for you. And what about you, Cas? Something small for the figure?"

I pause to ponder it a moment. _Absolutely anything I wanted to eat?_ The concept is kind of staggering. I grin, "I think I'll have an order of blueberry muffins, tepid lunch meat, and tofu jerky, with grilled hot dogs, and squash scones on a bed of spicy chard tarts, also swordfish, stewed trout, with Fettuccini Alfredo, and a side of grapes and cheese. And for dessert, strawberries and cream and a chocolate cake; and I mean like the whole cake, not just a slice."

Jeryy whistles in astonishment while Allen's jaw has practically hit the floor. "Well, this is my lucky day!" the chef exclaims, practically dancing around the kitchen. "You're orders are coming right up!"

"Thank you," I say to him, before turning to see that Allen is still gawking at me, "Close your mouth, kid; bugs are gonna fly in."

Allen quickly snaps his jaw shut. "I'm sorry, it's just I've never meet anyone before that matched my appetite."

I smirk, "Well, considering I'm about twice your size, it only makes sense."

Allen scowls. "You're only four inches taller!"

"Whoa, calm down, kid," I urge playfully.

"Don't call me kid! It's _Allen_ ," the boy insists.

"WHAT?! I dare you to say that again!" There is a loud crash, attracting everyone in the mess hall's attention, including Allen's and mine, to the center of the room. A burly, bald guy in one of the beige smocks is standing over a smaller figure sitting at a table. Even though his back is to me, it is unmistakably Kanda, his black and silver coat stands out rather sharply amidst the sea of beige.

"Come on, Mazu. Take it easy," another of the beige coat wearers urges the first, who is fuming from head to toe as he glares a look of pure murder at Kanda.

"Wait a minute, isn't that…?" Out of the corner of my eye, I see Allen grimace, obviously remembering his close encounter with Kanda at the Order Gate last night.

"You people are such an annoyance," Kanda grumbles, calmly setting down his chopsticks. "I'm minding my own business, attempting to enjoy a nice meal before I go out on another assignment, and all I hear behind me is whining."

"You bastard!" the other man called Mazu cries, "You like disrespecting men who have fallen in the line of duty?!"

The mess hall is completely silent now, the tension in the atmosphere converging on Kanda and Mazu.

"We risk our lives for your kind every day!" Mazu continues, "And yet you have the nerve to sit there and judge me? Simply for honoring a great Finder? You smug little…son of a bitch!" His hand tightens into a fist. "So sorry we ruined your meal!" he hollers as he winds up to hurl a punch at Kanda.

As cool as a cucumber, Kanda turns around in his seat; his arm shoots out like a coiled snake to latch itself onto the much larger man's throat. Gasps rise up from the spellbound crowd as Kanda's grip tightens around Mazu's neck. Mazu chokes in alarm.

Kanda smirks, "You Finders are so self-important. The only thing you're capable of doing is assisting us. You all failed to become Exorcists and resorted to finding Innocence instead. That's why Innocence chose me and none of you." Mazu is frozen where he stands, his face quickly becoming a sickly shade of blue as Kanda continues to apply pressure against his windpipe, but Kanda doesn't release him, "You are all so easily replaced, so if the idea of dying scares you, I suggest you leave. Got it!" His nails dig into Mazu's throat, and the other man gasps for breath.

There is a unanimous clatter and scraping of chairs as nearly every beige-coat in the room jumps to their feet and rushes towards Kanda.

"A fight on the first day?" I muse. "This place is quite the animal house, eh, kid? Kid?" I turn to my right, but Allen isn't there.

"Stop it now!" Allen's voice rings out through the pandemonium. Everyone freezes where they stand. Somehow, Allen had made it halfway across the room in record time and is now standing with his left hand firmly clamped around Kanda's hand that is holding Mazu's neck. "I don't mean to get involved, but I'm not going to stand by and let this happen."

Kanda doesn't look at him, "Why don't you just walk away, Short Stack?" His tone would have made a braver man than Allen wilt under its ferocity. However, the young boy holds his ground.

"Short Stack? The name's Allen!"

Kanda glances at Allen, his eyes are like ice, "Sorry, but you have to survive at least a month before I make note of your name. The turnover rate is high, especially with these guys," he gestures to Mazu, still trapped in his grip. "Sadly, they all drop like flies."

Allen's own grip constricts around Kanda's wrist, the pressure forcing the older Exorcist to unclench his fist and release Mazu, who staggers back into the arms of his friends with a gasp of relief.  
Allen slowly lowers Kanda's hand, his grip never slackening and his eyes never wavering. "You really need to watch your mouth," he whispers.

"And you need to keep that cursed hand off me," Kanda shoots back.

Allen relents, releasing his grip; however, his eyes never break their deadlock with Kanda's.

"You'll be dead within a year," Kanda declares. "Trust me. You're weak."

"We'll see about that," Allen replies.

It is dead silent in the mess hall as all the beige-coats watch Allen and Kanda stare each other down; the tension between their two forms is almost electric _. I need to break the spell before someone rips someone else's throat out._

"Girls, girls, you're both pretty!" I call, sauntering through the crowd and stepping between the two other Exorcists. "Come on, take it down a notch," I add, placing a hand on each of their shoulders, "We're all on the same side here, so there's no point in fighting amongst ourselves."

Kanda fixes his steely eyes on me, shaking off my arm. "This is none of your business, Nosebleed."

I scowl right back, "Yeah, well, I just made it my business," I snap, pointing to Kanda's seemingly abandoned seat, "Now sit down, and shut the fuck up."

However, I do not seem to have managed to defuse the situation, rather I'd poured gasoline on the fire. Kanda glares at me with barely contained murderous rage as the beige-coats all slowly begin to back away.

"Kanda! Allen! Cas!" I recognize Reever's voice, and we all whip around towards the door to see the Science Chief standing on the threshold, weighed down by a stack of books in his arms. "Get over to Command Room now. Your missions are up."

Allen and I exchange a glance while Kanda wordlessly stalks off towards the door, his foul mood radiating off him like noxious fumes. Allen and I hesitate a mere moment before hurrying after him.

 _Great, after all that, and I didn't even get my breakfast!_

* * *

The Command Room, which was Komui's office, is an even bigger mess than the Central Science office. Papers litter the floor in a sea up to my ankles; many are covered in dust or yellowed with age, spotted in a wide variety of coffee stains. The walls are lined with bookshelves and a large desk sits in the midst of the slosh pile of paperwork, seemingly the origin of the mess as a stack of still more paper spills over the rim of the desk like a waterfall. Komui is slumped over the top of the pile, seemingly sound asleep.

Reever walks over to him, "Chief? Chief!" he shakes Komui roughly, but the other man doesn't budge. "Hey, Chief, wake up." Still no response. Reever then leans in close and whispers in Komui's ear, "Just heard about Lenalee; she's getting married."

It is like someone had flicked a switched. "How could you Lenalee?!" Komui sobs, jumping to his feet, scattering papers everywhere. "How could you even consider getting married without telling your older brother? Am I even going to be part of the wedding party?" Komui raves, seemingly unaware of where he is or that his sister isn't present.

Reever grins at Allen, Kanda, and my looks of confusion. "Sorry about this, sometimes it's the only way we can get him to wake up," he explains, "He sleeps pretty hard."

Eventually, Komui regains his composure. He instructs Reever to hand copies of a file to Kanda, Allen, and I and tells us to sit down on the large green sofa in the middle of the room. "Now, we don't have much time, so you'll need to leave as soon as you are briefed," he explains.

"Wait…You mean, together?" I exclaim

"WHAT!" Allen and Kanda cry in unison.

"You expect me to work with _them_?" Kanda thunders.

"Why?" Allen whines.

Komui blinks in confusion, "Uh, yes, you're on this assignment together."

Kanda scowls, turning away from Allen, who does the same, leaving me awkwardly sitting between them as the two pout like a couple of bratty toddlers.

"What's the matter?" Komui croons, "You already off to a bad start? What happened?"

"Well, if you remember, Kanda did try to slaughter Allen and me when we first got here," I grumble.

"Oh…Right," Komui clears his throat, "My decision stands," he declares as he pulls down a map of southern Europe. I note there are several markings dotted across the surface as though it had been studied quite laboriously. "Now, a fragment of Innocence was discovered in southern Italy, but we've received word that Akuma are already en route to grab it," Komui explains, "You three will head there immediately. Destroy the enemy, and retrieve the Innocence at all costs. You'll have time to look over the file on the way there," Komui gives us a surprisingly warm smile. "Good luck to you."

* * *

Apparently, the less hazardous way of getting to and from the Black Order Headquarters is by way of a secret underground river way. In the dungeons of the tower is a stone dock where a series of ornate gondolas are tied up.

Reever and Komui accompany us to the dock.  
"Here. Put these on," Reever gives Allen and me each a heavy pile of black and silver material. Allen unfolds his to reveal it's a long black coat trimmed in silver and white designs almost identical to Kanda's. My bundle turns out to be a black manteau cloak with the same patterns and designs.

"Wow, what a work of achievement," I exclaim.

"Do I really have to wear this thing?" Allen asks.

"Its standard dress for all professional Exorcists," Komui explains, "They're made for battle, so the material is exceptionally robust."

Allen nods as he unfurls his coat and tosses it over his shoulders. Upon doing so, a small creature squirms out from under the sleeve. "Hey, there you are Timcampy!" Allen exclaims as the gold golem shoots up into the air. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"You best be off now," Komui urges us.

"Right. See ya, I guess," I say, tossing my Exorcist cloak over my shoulders and fastening the clasps. I tip my top hat to Komui and Reever before Allen and I step into the gondola after Kanda and the Finder assigned to us, who is a relatively young man who wears his hood up over his head and a series of bandages over his mouth so that he had the appearance of a mummy. Timcampy goes to rest on his master's shoulder as Kanda pushes the gondola away from the dock and starts rowing along the dark, silent water.

"Goodbye. Good luck!" Reever calls after us.

"Allen, Timcampy showed me your past," Komui adds. Allen turns to give him a surprised glance over his shoulder. "He's equipped with a recording device," Komui explains, "So we can monitor your progress." Allen's eyes are very wide in the half-light. "Although, I still don't know much about _your_ past, Cas," Komui adds. I stiffen. "We'll have a chat when you get back. Be safe!"

He gives us the thumbs up as his and Reever's forms vanish into the gloom. I cross my arms and sink down into my seat. _I'm not looking forward to that._

* * *

The train whistle calls out in the distance, steadily growing closer as Allen, Kanda, the Finder, and I all race along the rooftops of the village at top speed.

The air is crisp and the night alive. I hear the wind whipping through my red hair as my new black cloak flaps out around my body like a pair of bat wings.

"Hold on!" Allen, who is bringing up the rear, calls. "Gimme a sec," he fumbles with the paperwork Komui gave us.

"We don't have time for that," Kanda snaps as the end to the next roof looms ahead of us.

"There's our train!" the Finder cries, pointing to the tracks below where the train is steadily winding through the buildings like a black serpent through rocks. Night had just recently fallen, and the village is covered in shadow.

"Jump now!" Kanda suddenly cries, stepping off the ledge and plummeting down towards the engine in a full free fall. I don't even have time to protest as I leap from the edge with the Finder close behind me.

"Wait! The train is moving!" Allen screams as he tumbles down after me. The roof of the engine rushes up to meet us, and I quickly coat my hands and feet in blood just before I make contact with the hard metal roof. All four of us land on the train with a loud bang, most likely making a huge dent in the ceiling and scaring the shit out of the passengers in the car below.

The wind howls around us, slicing through my body and making my eyes water. From behind me, I hear Allen yell: "I can't believe we just did that!"

"Hey, we're just getting started!" the Finder replies with a laugh.

"Come on," Kanda barely gives us time to regain our bearings as he crawls over to a hatch and lifts the lid. The bright light and warmth of the train car spills out into the cold night, and we all quickly jump down into a well-lit, polished hallway, landing on a thankfully plush red carpet.

A stunned conductor, face white as milk with shock, greets us, "Uh…tickets?"

"We're with the Black Order," the Finder explains, gripping the straps of his bulky backpack that seemed to act as a mobile phone booth, "I believe we have a reservation."

"Oh, yes! Of course," the still stunned conductor bows deeply. "Follow me. I'll show you to your compartment."

Allen blinks, "We get our own room?"

I grin, "You mean first class?"

The conductor leads us into a lavish space consisting of two plush red couches and a large window framed in green curtains that overlook the dark countryside as it races past us.

Allen seems impressed. I am too; during my travels around the country, I could never afford first class.  
"Now, _this_ is the way to travel," Allen exclaims, collapsing onto one of the couches; Timcampy perched in his hair. Kanda skulks over to the window seat on the one opposite him and sits down, crossing his arms and legs and seemingly becoming lost in the scenery outside.

"I agree," I say to Allen, stretching out beside him, "I could certainly get used to this."

Our Finder, meanwhile, seemed content to wait outside our compartment, playing what seemed like solitaire in the hallway and turning down any offers that Allen or I made to come in.

Relenting, Allen opens up the file Komui gave him and begins to read aloud. "According to this, we're heading to the ancient city of Mater."

"I think I remember reading about this place once," I muse, "It's been in ruins for decades."

"Our target sounds interesting," Allen continues, "The Ghost of Mater." Allen stares down at the file thoughtfully. "I'm confused," he turns to Kanda, "What does a ghost have to do with Innocence?"

Kanda doesn't respond, just stares down at his own copy of the file and pointedly ignores us.

"Hey! Is that attitude necessary?" Allen cries.

"Take a guess," Kanda replies without looking up.

"Jackass," I muse as I open my newly purchased box of matches and light my pipe.

Kanda makes a face. "Do you have to do that in here?"

"Yes," I reply through a drag of pearly smoke.

"It's a disgusting habit," Kanda spat.

"You wouldn't say that if you saw me off the nicotine," I assert, "It's not a pretty sight."

Allen scowls at Kanda.

I make a hand gesture to him that is an obvious comment on Kanda's penis size.

"Unexplained phenomena are a common occurrence where Innocence exists," the Finder calls from the hallway in answer to Allen's question, "Over the course of several thousand years, we've observed that Innocence has altered its own biology. Of course, it doesn't happen overnight; most testaments place the timeline between Noah's Flood and the present. This may be due to the crystal's mysterious power trying to communicate with us for any number of unknown reasons, but it seems that Innocence always finds its way into human hands. The one thing we still can't figure out is why Innocence causes these strange phenomena."

"So, you're saying that the existence of a ghost in Mater could be caused by Innocence?" Allen asks.

"Yes," the Finder replies, "Because, where mystery is found, Innocence is usually nearby. That's why the Order enlists Finders like myself to conduct thorough investigations of these instances."

At this, Allen gets to his feet and goes to the door; I follow him. _It's getting awkward talking through the door._

The Finder glances up from his cards when Allen and I exit the compartment. "Mysteries like the Ghost of Mater?" Allen asks.

The Finder gets to his feet. "Yes, precisely."

"Hi, my name is Allen Walker," Allen adds, holding his hand out to the Finder.

"And I'm Cas Williams," I add, shaking the Finder's hand as well.

"It's certainly my pleasure Master Walker, Mistress Williams," the Finder exclaims, "I am Toma, you're Finder for this mission."

Allen nods in greeting before stooping down to get a better look at Toma's cards. "Have you been doing this since we got on the train?"

Toma chuckles, "It's a hobby of mine."

Allen smiles as he picks up the Joker card, "It looks interesting." The young boy sits down and leans against the hallway wall, Timcampy still perched in his hair, Toma settles down next to him, and I lean against the wall and cross my arms.

"Tell me; are you at all familiar with the Ghost of Mater?" Toma asks us.

"I'm not, "Allen admits.

"Neither am I," I add.

"It's fascinating," Toma explains, "The story harkens back to the days when the city fell into ruin. According to the legend, the Ghost was originally an inhabitant of the city before it met its demise. As people visited the city, the Ghost would draw them towards its being in an attempt to quell it's loneliness."

I feel a sudden pang in my chest. My hand clasps over my ribs just as an image swims before my eyes. I see a figure standing alone on a dusty street, a city of rubble surrounding it. It stands there, haggard and old, draped in a cloak so faded with age that it no longer holds any color. It stares out under the hood, its face a warped version of what it might have once been: cracked, grey skin and wide, bulging eyes that stare at me with such intensity I feel as though the stare is slicing through me.

As I look upon the Ghost of Mater, a single tear trails a path down the figure's face.

"Cas, are you alright?" Allen suddenly asks me as I slowly slide to the floor.

I blink, trying to pull myself back to my reality _. Hevlaska said I would be able to connect to the other Innocence users. Those strangers...Those strangers that swim through my brain as I sleep, people like Allen. Are they all Innocence users?_ "I'm fine, Allen," I reassure him, and the young boy turns to Toma.

"I hear stories about disappearances all the time."

"We Finders investigate stories like this even if it's only a vague rumor," Toma explains, "However, until we can determine its validity, and whether or not Innocence is involved, we will stay for up to months at a time investigating these claims. As I said, most of them do turn out to be fake stories or local legends gone awry, but even when the rumors turn out to be fact, it's very rare for Innocence to actually play a role in the plot. However, if there is even the slightest hint of possibility that Innocence is involved, it immediately becomes a top priority for the Finders to inform the Order."

"And then," Kanda calls from the doorway. Allen and I both jump and turn around to see he'd exited the compartment, "Exorcists show up to finish the job."

Allen and I exchange a glance. "Be ready to move at five," Kanda adds before reentering the compartment and slamming the door behind him.

Allen gets to his feet, and I'm about to follow when a feeling like a huge weight falling on my chest crashes onto my body. It is the most intense fear I've experienced in a long while. I gasp and sink back to the floor as my limbs begin to shake like branches in a winter storm. "Cas, are you alright?" Allen asks, dropping to his knees beside me.

I swallow and nod slowly, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Scared?" Toma observes, "It's alright; it's only natural for your first assignment."

I shake my head, wetting my dry lips, "It's not _my_ fear I'm feeling."

* * *

The murky air of early dawn parts around our sprinting forms as Allen, Kanda, Toma, and I all race across the barren landscape. The skeletal remains of what had once been a great city looms ahead of us, black in the grey air, it gives off a dark, foreboding aura. As we run, Toma fiddles with the phone-like device strapped to his back.

"Toma, how's it looking?" Kanda shouts over the wind rolling across the dead landscape.

"Not good; I can't get through," the Finder calls back.

"Then let's hurry," Kanda declares, and we all quicken our pace.

My mind races almost as fast as my feet as we draw closer to Mater. _If Toma can't contact the other Finders than does that mean we are already too late? Have the Akuma beat us to the city?_

My limbs burn as my thoughts urge me faster. The darkness is omnipresent around us with no sign of the sun against the naked horizon. Out of the gloom, I catch a flash of red, signaling Allen's cursed eye has activated, confirming my fears that Akuma are present.

I slow up somewhat so that I can run evenly with Allen. "How many, kid?"

"Three."

"Can you see the Akuma?" Toma asks as we draw close to the ledge on the city's boarder.

"Yes, my left eye is equipped with a sensor that can detect Akuma, or more specifically, the souls trapped inside them," Allen explains.

"A cursed eye? You should have told us that from the start, Short Stack," Kanda snaps.

"Can't see how it would make much of a difference," I shoot back, "We know they're there all the same."

I can just barely make out Kanda's steely eyes glaring at us through the dark haze, "Before we arrive, let's get something straight: I'm not the idealist you two are. Emotions have no place on the battlefield. If either of you get yourselves hurt, hinder the mission, or put the rest of us in danger, I'll leave you for dead. In other words, we're not a team, so don't expect me to help."

Under any other circumstances, I might have punched Kanda for trying to lecture _me_ about emotions.  
 _If he only knew…_

"Pleasant as always," Allen grumbles to me, and I force a smile.

As we race down the cliff towards the entrance to the city, an explosion rips through the eerie early morning silence. I can feel that same crushing fear seize my body again, and I almost stop running entirely as I gasp for breath. It feels like my lungs are full of sand.

"Cas, are you alright?" Allen calls, sensing my distress.

"Yeah," I manage to choke out, "The Ghost of Mater is in danger. We have to hurry!"

* * *

"Still no response?" Kanda asks Toma as we scale the decrepit buildings.

Toma shakes his head.

"Strange. The Finder unit should have raised the barrier by now."

A morbid thought crosses my mind, and I can see it reflected in Allen's face.

"They could survive a few days in there at least," Kanda adds as we alight on another rooftop. A short ways ahead, the squat buildings part to reveal a strange kind of light slicing through the shadows.

"I see the barrier. It's over there!" Toma cries, pointing in the light's direction.

As my vision adjusts to the glare, I see that the light is actually shaped in a perfect cube, a series of what looks like strobe lights are positioned around the cube's edges, and the light is streaming out of them.

In the very center of the cube, I can just barely make out the silhouette of what appears to be two hooded figures entangled in a tight embrace. My insides twist.

"That must be the Ghost of Mater," I whisper.

"Then where are the Finders?" Allen cries.

"It looks like they've activated the barrier in order to protect the Ghost of Mater," Toma observes, "Instead of saving themselves…They must be waiting for the Exorcists-"

He is interrupted when the air is shattered with the sound of gunfire; a barrage of Akuma bullets descend on the barrier and explode around it in a shower of smoke.

"Oh no," Allen whispers.

"They did their job, Toma," Kanda says to the Finder, but it sounds more like stating a fact than a comfort.

"Agreed," Toma nods coolly.

A sudden popping sound springs up from between a thick cluster of buildings nearby. We all turn in time to see flashes of fire reflect off the withered stone.

"They're alive!" Allen cries before jumping off the roof and rushing towards the light.

"Allen, wait!" I follow without thinking.

"Leave them!" I hear Kanda say to Toma as I jump down from the roof and race after Allen, "That barrier won't stay up for much longer."

As I leap from rooftop to rooftop, my eyes never wavering from the crest of white that I know to be Allen's hair, a familiar musty, metallic scent fills my nostrils. _I smell blood._

The Finder is a helpless grey speck staggering about through the maze that is Mater's streets. He falls to his knees with a gasp that turns to a scream; the Akuma's swollen bulk bubbles up from the darkness.

The man turns around just as Allen and I appear on his horizon. His face is hidden under his hood as he raises his shadowed eyes to us, the desperation in them burning into me.

He raises his blood-soaked arm towards us, "Help me….Exorcists."

The silent moment lingers, Allen jumping towards the helpless Finder, whose arm remains stretched towards him, and then a purple light erupts around the Finder's body, and the spell is broken.

"Kid, watch out!" I slam my body into Allen's with a lot more force than I intended, probably knocking the wind out of him, but also sparing him from the crossfire.

"Cas, stop!" Allen cries as we both slam onto the roof of the building across the street. "We have to help him!"

"There's nothing we can do for him now, kid," I whisper. Allen looks down as the man's blackened carcass crashes into the dirt; the air is ripe with the black stench of poison.

Allen screams in fury, throwing me off him and jumping towards the Akuma, his arm igniting to life as he does so.

The thing turns its hollow eyes towards Allen and releases a string of bullets in his direction. Allen dodges it and brings his arm down on the Akuma, slicing its body to rivets.

He alights on the ground, just as a second Akuma rises up from the darkness. It's beach ball body swollen like a juicy pomegranate about to burst.

"Kid!" I call, leaping from the roof as a flat blade explodes from under my manteau cloak. My top hat sails off my head and rolls away in the wind as I land in front of Allen, blocking the bullets with my broad sword.

I revert the blade into a series of coiled whips just as the Akuma opens fire again. The air is ablaze with purple bullets, impossible to dodge them all. Allen and I leap back and skirt behind a building.

"Damn it," I hiss, gasping for breath as we crouch in the shadows, "I've never seen an Akuma fire with that kind of accuracy before."

"There's something definitely off about it," Allen agrees, craning his neck around the corner so as to catch a glimpse of the thing bobbing through the air.

"We need to catch it off guard," I say, "Launch a surprise attack, it's only a matter of time before it sniffs us out and we can't take that kind of firepower head on."

Allen looks at me, "What do you have in mind?"

I hold up a finger pointedly, "I'll draw the thing's attention; once it's distracted; you come from the other side and butcher the fucker. Got it?"

Allen pales, "But what if…"

"Kid, relax," I clap him on the shoulder, "I'll be fine."

Allen looks as though he's about to argue further, but he relents, "Fine. Be careful, Cas."

I grin, "Alright, sit tight." I then turn and rush out into the open. The Akuma turns its swollen eyes towards me and releases another round of bullets. I fashion my blood into a long coil and wind it around the edge of a nearby roof, pulling myself to safety just as the bullets pepper the ground where I'd just been standing.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Bug Eyes!" I call as I alight on the roof. "Come and get me!" Dodging was all I could do as I jumped from building to building, the Akuma gave me hardly any time to regain my bearings between rounds of poison bullets as I hopped around like a rabbit on PCP.

Through the haze of purple bullets, I catch a glimpse of Allen running along the ground under me, his arm activated as he ducked behind a building and stands poised, waiting for the Akuma to float by.

I flip backwards onto a building and nearly lose my footing. The Akuma fires again and one stray blast nicks me in the shoulder. I grit my teeth, "Kid, any time now."

A moment later, the wall beside the Akuma's head crumbles away, and Allen leaps into view; he swipes his claw, but it misses the mark and the Akuma leers down at him before a pulse of purple light explodes out from its body, and Allen crashes to the ground.

"Kid!" I cry, sprinting through the dust. I fashion a blade and leap into the air, ready to strike. The Akuma spins around and fires another round, one of the bullets strikes my blood blade and I feel the venom shock my system as it rushes up the blade and back into my veins.

I groan and hit the ground, momentarily dazed.

As my vision clears, I catch Allen lying a few feet away in a heap of rubble.

"Kid, you still breathing?" I call to him.

"Yeah," Allen coughs, "It's no good. He's just too strong."

I glance back up at the Akuma, and a horrible sight meets my eyes. The swollen creature's body twists in midair as it shifts and writhes under its own flesh, the ball of bulbous skin stretching, pulsing, changing…

"What's happening?" Allen cries, "The soul inside it is being distorted."

The air around the AKuma turns black, and not the black of night, but the deep darkness that no light can ever penetrate. I feel the air getting sucked from my lungs as a horrible ripping sound shatters the dawn.

The Akuma's body bursts like a popped zit, and something crawls out from the under the skin. "I…am…an AKUMA!" A horrible voice screeches as a shape slithers up from the hollow corpse.

"It spoke," I gape; feeling bile in the back of my throat, which I realize was coming from Allen's own disgust. _What does the soul look like?_

The shredded remains of the Akuma's original body rains around the new form like purple flower petals as the evolved Akuma rises up to its full height like a butterfly unfurling from a cocoon.  
"My new form is complete," it leers, "Thank you for all your help, Exorcists."

The thing jeers down at Allen and I with a sharp, boney face as white as milk; his body is like that of a harlequin, all blue and grey stripes with a jangled hat perched on its head. Smeared across its armored chest was a black II.

A Level II Akuma.

The Akuma's laugh rings in my skull as it bears its shark-like teeth, "It appears I'm all grown up!"

Allen staggers to his feet, "The Akuma evolved, how is that possible?"

I catch a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye, "Kanda!" I call to the other Exorcist, who is scaling the rooftops with Toma, two figures under each arm; the beings, I soon recognize, are the silhouettes from within the Finders' barrier.

"Kanda!" I yell again, and he pauses.

"I'm not here to help you," he snaps, "Acting on your emotions is what got you into this mess. You'll have to take care of it yourself."

I flip Kanda off.

Allen scowls, "Fine then. As long as you have the Innocence, there's no need for me to worry."

I nod with a sigh. I suppose he's right. "We'll catch up with you later," I add to Kanda.

The Harlequin Akuma cackles. " _You_ will die," he declares, "Not me!"

"Toma, keep an eye on that Akuma," I hear Kanda say to the Finder.

"Yes, sir."

Kanda then departs with the Ghost of Mater.

Harlequin's eyes bulge, "I see the Ghost of Mater has gotten away. No matter, I'll have plenty of time to deal with him later." He rounds on us, "But first, I get to take your lives!"

"Try it," I hiss as my blood explodes out around me, the tendrils elongating and twisting like a nest of coiled snakes.

Allen and I rush the Akuma, and Allen brings his claws down on its head. There is the sound of impact and dust explodes around him. I dare to think for a moment the kid's hit his mark, but then the smoke clears, and I see the Akuma has easily sidestepped Allen's attack and jeers down at him, waggling a long, purple tongue.

The Akuma screeches with delight and knocks Allen aside, sending him careening into another building. From behind, my coils wrap around the Akuma's body. I flex my arms, tightening my blood's hold. The Akuma freezes momentarily.  
"Try getting out of that," I sneer as the threads continue to tighten, "I'll squeeze until there's nothing left to squeeze!"

The Akuma's head slithers all the way around as it cackles at me. Then there is a loud ripping sound and the Akuma's skin splits away. I gape with shock as the Akuma shreds the old skin and slithers out from between my coils, his body slick with a newborn slime.

"Can't catch me!" he teases. His arm knocks me aside before I can collect myself, and I fly face first into the ground. I groan as my body collides with the rough ground.

My vision swimming with stars, I stagger to my feet and gaze around.

Allen jumps back up; catching the Akuma off guard, he knocks it in the face and sends it sprawling. The Akuma leaps to its feet, unscathed, and lunges for Allen as he ducks behind a house.

I break into a sprint and rush around the house. My blood strings rush outward and coil around the wall of the house. I rip it from its foundation and hurl it at the Akuma, who winds up and punches the stone to rubble with a single blow.

I seethe in frustration. Rushing out from behind the house, I catch a glimpse of Allen's glowing arm, but it is soon swallowed by the clouds of ash wafting up from the rubble. I scan the haze frantically, trying to find the Akuma.

A flash of blue and grey catches in my peripheral vision, and I slice a blood blade blindly at the form; hacking it to shreds, it falls apart like paper mache.

 _Easy…Too easy…_

Then I realize, as the supposed Akuma's body evaporates into inky smoke, that it is not Harlequin, but the skin that he had slithered from when my blood coils had ensnared him.

I blink in shock, "Where did it…?"

 _I'm right behind you…_

I gasp as something entangles my body and then a firm member plunges into my chest. I retch as the pressure of the limb shatters my ribs and blood spews out from all directions like a torrent of fiery liquid. I choke on the burning fluid as it dribbles down my chin.

My vision blurs at the edges as the wound spews my organs onto the pavement. I am practically immobile, but I manage to turn my head. I expect to see the Akuma's twisted face leering back at me, but instead I see a different, all too familiar face.

It's Allen's face. He's smiling at me, calm and complacent, his giant Akuma Weapon arm sunk deep into my chest cavity.

I gasp in horror, blood spewing from my mouth.

"Kid….What…?" Then everything goes black.

* * *

A/N: No, that's not a type-o, Jeryy really spells his name like that. Also, as a Parasite-type, Cas's big appetite, which I hinted at in chapter 1, only made sense. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Aria of the Land and Night Sky

* * *

My whole body is shaking, fighting against the pressure of the not-Allen's claws crushing against my chest. Blood seeps from between his clenched fingers and dribbles across the ground at my feet.

"Can you feel it?" not-Allen whispers, "The feeling of your chest being crushed to splinters? Your lungs being constricted? Your fluids pouring out from within your shredded veins?"

I smile slightly, "I wouldn't go much deeper if I were you."

"What…?" Suddenly, the not-Allen gives a great shriek and jumps away from me, yanking his arm from the gaping wound in my chest.

I gasp as the pressure is released, and the fire of the wound courses through my body. My Blood runs thickly all around me as I drop to one knee in the dirt.

"Cas!" I don't even remember Allen running towards me, but he is suddenly kneeling beside me. My vision is going foggy at the edges, like a frayed photograph, but I manage to make out Allen's worried face peering down at me through the pre-dawn haze. "Are you alright?"

"Alright?" I chuckle, Blood dribbling down my chin, "Do I look alright, kid? I've got a fucking hole in my chest." I cough again, and more Blood spews from my mouth. "Damn thing caught me off guard," I continue, "It looks just like you."

Nearby, the Akuma cackles. Allen glances up at it, meeting his own face leering back at him, cursed eye and all.

"But how are you able to do that?" he demands.

"I copied you. It was easy," the Akuma croons, "I even duplicated your power!" he holds up the replica of Allen's Anti-Akuma Weapon, the silvery skin glistening as it is consumed in the same eerie green light.

I choke forcefully, "I've never seen an Akuma have that ability before." The rest is lost amongst more Blood and coughing.

"Cas," Allen puts his hand around my trembling shoulders, trying to keep me from collapsing to the ground.

The Akuma giggles before a tear appears right down the center of its stolen body; it is like someone neatly peeling the wrapping paper off a present as Allen's appearance falls away, and the Akuma's true form slithers into view again: thick purple tongue worming between sharp, pearl-white fangs. "This new ability is a pretty good trick, isn't it? When an Akuma evolves to a Level II then a brand-new skill is awakened, don't you see?" He leans forward, his twisted form hovering over Allen and I huddled on the ground.

I try to move, but my Blood won't respond _. Damn, it's taking all the energy I've got just to remain awake. I need to heal this wound quickly…_

"So, now anything I touch, I have the ability to copy," the Akuma continues. He holds up his arm, so we can see it is still in the shape of Allen's weapon, "Brilliant!"

The Akuma then bends down and picks up the slip of skin in Allen's likeness. Allen and I watch, dumbstruck, as the creature unhinges its white jaw and swallows the skin hole. The flesh ripples under its body as it twists halfway back into Allen's form: the top side reshaping into the familiar slight, white-haired shape, while the bottom remained the swollen, purple-stripped harlequin body.

The Akuma lunges. _C'mon, you stupid body. Move!_

"Cas, hold on!" Allen's arms are around me before I have a chance to register what he said as he pulls me out of harm's way. He swings my limp, Blood-soaked body over his back with surprising strength, given our difference in height and weight, and takes off running through the rubble.

I can feel my Blood flow increase as my body tries to heel my injuries, but I can barely focus as the Akuma chases after us.

"Die!" it shrieks. I hear Allen cry out as the Akuma's fork-like arm slices between us, ripping us apart. The explosion of impact echoes through my skull as I'm tossed aside like a rag doll.

I land in a heap against a nearby building. Dazed, I try to sit up, but it feels like a weight is pressing against my chest.  
"Cas, hold on," Allen rushes over to me. As he drops down beside me, I can see flecks of dirt and blood speckling his white hair; he doesn't look much better than me, his skin ashen in the pale light.

"Kid, just leave me here," I whisper, "I'll be okay."

"No, I'm not leaving you behind!" Allen insists, grabbing my arm and attempting to hoist me onto his back again.

I hold back; we don't have much time. I can almost feel the Akuma prowling nearby, searching for us amongst the rubble.

"Allen, I'll be alright. I promise," I assert, "I'm no good to you like this. My body needs time to heal, and until then I'll only get in your way."

Allen purses his lips. "I don't like the idea of leaving you alone."

"I'll be fine," I repeat, placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'll go find Kanda and help guard the Ghost of Mater."

Allen looks like he's about to argue further, but he relents and gets to his feet. "Be careful," he whispers, before turning and hurrying in the direction the Akuma was last seen.

I gaze after him, "You too."

* * *

I stagger through Mater's dilapidated streets, a trail of Blood flowing behind me like a crimson wedding veil. I grip my chest as my hollow heart presses against my splintered rib cage. My vision swims in and out of focus, and I have to hug the wall heavily in order to remain standing.

"Kanda," I hiss through gritted teeth, "Where are you?"

If only I had Timcampy, I'd be able to contact him through his own golem, but I haven't seen height or hair of the golden golem since arriving in the city.

A brief pulse suddenly beats in the depths of my steadily numbing form. I turn my head to the side and catch a glimpse of a small hovel wedged between two buildings barely standing on their weather-beaten foundations. The house, buried in shadow, might have passed me by had I not felt the twinge of Innocence within my soul.

Without hesitation, I limp towards the house.

The hut has but one window, so it's as dark as a cave inside. The walls are made of mud bricks that are chipping and worn. Kanda stands by the window facing the city. The two figures he had rescued earlier are huddled in a corner, wrapped in their shapeless cloaks.

"Morning, everyone," I call, collapsing against the doorway.

Kanda whirls around, half drawing his sword until he sees me. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?"

"You're hurt!" another voice cries. The smaller of the two figures in the corner leaps up and rushes over to me. Now that she is closer, I can see she is a young girl. Her porcelain white skin is hidden under ripped garments; her eyes are a deep sea blue, and her golden blonde hair is tucked up under a pointed straw hat. She is quite cute.

"There's so much blood," she whispers, pressing a hand to my chest.

I flinch instinctively as a bizarre shock rushes through my body, like static electricity, "It's fine," I quickly say, removing her hand, "It'll go away in a minute."

"Where's the kid?" Kanda demands of me.

"He's fine…for now," I reply, feeling a steadily creeping since of foreboding, but pushing it back down for the time being. "Kanda, the Level II Akuma, it has the ability to shape shift; it can mimic anything it touches and take its shape, copying it perfectly."

Kanda's steely eyes narrow in annoyance, "Damn. As if we don't have enough problems already."

"What is this 'Akuma' you speak of, sir?" The second figure speaks up; his voice is old and wheezy. The girl rushes back over to him as he starts coughing violently, seemingly choking on his own words.

His hood is up, so I can't see his face, and his body is draped in the same tattered robes as the girl with a matching pointed hat.

"All Akuma are fashioned from Darkness," Kanda explains to the old man and girl, "A polar opposite material of the Innocence we seek. Unfortunately, the more the Akuma fight us, the more they evolve and gain strength." As Kanda speaks, I heave my body over to the far side of the hut and collapse in the corner beside the old man and girl. My whole body is shaking with exhaustion, all of my energies going towards closing the wound howling in my chest. "When an Akuma evolves, it develops its own ego, and begins to talk," Kanda continues, "They also gain new abilities, they become much more powerful. It's not the same enemy, and the person fighting it struggles to keep up." Kanda's expression is oddly somber, his face half-hidden in the darkness.

I think back to Allen fighting against that thing alone. _Damn_ , I curse my own weakness, _I_ _f only I hadn't let my guard down; if only I hadn't been injured._

I've never faced a Level II Akuma before. During the years of my training under Master Hermenshire, I'd only ever encountered Level Is: the gaping sacks of darkness and misery hovering through the air like bloated weather balloons. The creatures were slow and dimwitted, almost comical in nature, but this…This is something else entirely.

"What do we do now?" the girl asks Kanda, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Sooner or later, the Akuma will find us," Kanda replies grimly, "I'm afraid it's only a matter of time."

"And so, you want the Innocence?" the old man's voice is barely a whisper: a labored, numbered breath, "Before the Akuma gets here and takes it, is that what you're saying?"

"It is," Kanda replies, stepping forward, "And to be blunt, I need it now."

"Guzol!" the young girl cries, turning to the old man.

"I see," the old man called Guzol removes his hat, and slowly lifts his head. His face is grey-white and smooth as china, cracks form rivets across the white empty eyes and thin slit acting as an mouth.

"What are you?" Kanda asks as I watch, gaping, from the corner.

"I am the Ghost of Mater."

I snort, "Nice try, old man, but you're no ghost."

"That's right," Guzol replies, "I am a doll."

"Guzol!" the little girl cries, almost pleading him.

"A doll?" I ask.

"It was very hard here," Guzol explains, "The rocks, the dry weather, the sunlight was blazing and oppressive. People actually used to call Mater 'the Land Forsaken by God'. The citizens who lived in great suffering and despair wanted desperately to forget their troubles, even if only for a little while. So they created a doll, a doll that would sing and dance. The city eventually fell into ruin, and the people disappeared, but the doll remained." Gozul raises his blank eyes to look at Kanda and me, "And here I am: the Ghost of Mater."

"This city went to ruin-what-five hundred years ago?" Kanda asks, "And you've remained alive all this time?"

"How are you even alive in the first place?" I add, "You're just a machine, a wind-up toy."

"I have Innocence pounding within my heart," Guzol replies.

Instinctively, my hand clasps over my chest. The brief spell of alarm passes over me as I survey Guzol and the young girl. I remember the shock coursing through my body as the girl had touched my skin. Something didn't seem right here.

"Whatever the case," Kanda adds, "It won't be easy for you to escape this place on foot, and I can't carry you both." He slowly draws his katana, "So, if you don't mind, I'll be taking your heart now."

"No, you can't!" the girl cries, jumping in front of Guzol.

"She's right, Boy Toy. Don't be so rash," I agree, getting to my feet; my steadily closing wound allowing my body a sliver of strength. "You can't just take his heart. He's a living being."

"He's not a living being, you idiot," Kanda spat, "He's a doll; he said so himself."

 _I think he's more alive than you think he is,_ I muse to myself. I exhale through my tightly clenched teeth; I don't have the energy to argue with Kanda, healing the wound is sapping all my strength; I'm in desperate need of a smoke and nap. "Fine, do whatever you want," I relent, shuffling back over to the corner and collapsing against the wall, "I'm going to sit here and try to piece my ribcage back together."

"Wait!" the girl cries to Kanda, "If we can't escape, then why don't we hide?"

Kanda stares at her. "Oh? And who are you?"

"I'm Guzol's…helper," the girl falters.

"She's a child that was abandoned by humans," Guzol explains, pausing as his body is attacked by another fit of coughing, "I found her and took her in." He continues to cough, clapping a hand over his mouth.

"Guzol, are you alright?" the girl asks, turning to him.

Kanda, meanwhile, relents as he retracts his sword. "So you think we can hide, huh? Do you know of a safe place to go?"

However, before the girl can reply, a small black object suddenly zips out of Kanda's coat collar. It's a golem: the standard kind, black with a large white eye-like pattern on the front. It hovers in front of Kanda's face on rapidly flapping wings. "Toma, what's up?" Kanda inquires of the Finder as I get back to my feet.

"Is something wrong?" I ask.

"I've been watching from a safe distance," Toma's voice wafts out from the golem, "There was a violent impact earlier, and Master Walker's whereabouts are currently unknown…The Akuma just came out of the building alone," he adds, "It's chasing Master Walker's golem."

Kanda nods solemnly, "Okay. Hurry back here; it's too risky for you to stay there much longer," he turns to me, "Cas, do you know if Timcampy recorded any footage of your fight with the Level II?"

I shrug, "I guess."

Kanda then turns back to the golem, "Toma, bring the golem with you; I need to see that footage immediately. Get out of there and come to this location; I'll send my golem to guide you. Got that?"

"Yes, sir, I understand," Toma replies, followed by the 'click' of the phone being disconnected. The now silent golem then turns and zips out the window into the grey light of early dawn.

I watch the golem buzz out of sight, before turning to Kanda. "What now? Allen might still be out there somewhere."

Kanda scoffs, "That kid's safety is none of my concern. Our priority is the Ghost of Mater. Now, let's move before the Akuma finds us. What was that you said about a hiding place…?" Kanda trails off as he turns around only to find the hut empty aside from me.

I quirk a brow, "Damn, they're quiet. I didn't even here them leave."

Kanda whirls on me, "I thought you were watching them!"

I scowl, "I don't remember being designated the resident babysitter, Ponytail!"

Kanda growls between gritted teeth, "Whatever, let's just go find Toma. Can you stand?"

"Sort of," I reply, taking a step and stumbling heavily.

"Watch it," Kanda hisses as I almost fall into him. "Here. Lean on me." He takes his arm and drapes it around his shoulders, propping my body against his.

I smile grimly, "I thought you said you'd leave me behind."

Kanda grunts, "Shut up. You'll waste your energy." He then turns to the door and leads me out of the hut.

We walk through the pale light as the sun peeks between the black houses; the sunlight seems alarmingly bright after seemingly days of intense darkness.

"Where are we going?" I ask as Kanda half-drags me along; my feet shake at the ankles, and I can barely stand: my strength fluctuating before rapidly declining once more.

"We're going to meet Toma halfway," Kanda replies, shifting his grip as my arm almost slides off him, "We don't have much time left."

I nod in agreement _. I hope Allen's alright._ I try not to worry about kid; he's good at what he does, a damn good Exorcist. However, that sense of panic still continues to rise in the back of my throat like hot bile…or maybe it's just more Blood.

I choke as red fluid spills from between my lips. "What if we bump into the Akuma first?"

"Then I'll use you as a shield to distract it as I go in for the kill," Kanda replies simply.

Before I can ask if he's kidding or not, Kanda suddenly goes stiff; his free hand clasps around his sword. "Who's there?"

"It's me," Toma melts out of the shadows; his still bandaged face looks creepy in the half-light.

"Toma," Kanda relaxes.

"Where is the Ghost of Mater?" Toma inquires.

"He escaped," I explain, finally managing to gather enough strength to step away from Kanda and stand on my own. I can feel my Blood pounding in my skull as it works to replenish my lost cells.

Toma nods solemnly, before holding out a small pile of golden pebbles, "Here is Timcampy."

"Tim!" I exclaim, rushing over to peer at the small pile of rubble in Toma's hands. "That stupid fucking thing smashed him to pieces!"

"Would you calm down?" Kanda snaps, "Golems can replenish themselves, you know?" At his word, a pale light surrounds the pieces, and they morph back together. When the light dies, Timcampy is hovering, fully formed, above Toma's open palms.

"Tim! You're alright," I cry as the tiny creature flutters over to nuzzle my cheek.

"Alright, Tim, I need you to show me everything you've learned about the Akuma," Kanda instructs the golem.

A slit appears in the center of Timcampy's 'face', and it parts to reveal his needlelike teeth. A light seeps from his mouth, and it fizzles into the familiar image of the Level II Akuma, half-transformed into Allen's shape.

"It looks just like him," Kanda muses, grabbing his chin thoughtfully, "A dangerous skill."

I study the picture as well, something suddenly occurring to me. "Not exactly," I assert, pointing to the image. "See? Allen's Anti-Akuma Weapon is his left arm, but the Akuma is mimicking it with his right arm. His cursed eye is also on the wrong side, and the patterns on the coat are reversed as well."

"So the Akuma can become a mirror image?" Toma asks, stepping behind us so as to get a better look at the image.

"Something like that," I agree before turning to Kanda, "Nevertheless, it's an imperfect replica that at least gives us an edge."

Kanda nods in agreement, "As long as we keep our guard up, that is."

The image on Timcampy's projector then changes, depicting me slicing through what I thought was the Akuma, but was actually just its skin.

"It's hollow on the inside," Kanda observes, "Like a shell."

"He's like a body snatcher," I muse, "He creates skins in other people's likeness and then slips in and out of them at will."

"Of course once a copy is made, he can also gain a target's power," Kanda adds, noting the Akuma mimicking Allen's arm. "That kid gave that Akuma a dangerous advantage, something we don't need," he seethes.

"Well, he couldn't exactly help it," I snap back, "The Akuma copies whatever it touches, so it very well could have been you."

"I feel like I should have gone and looked for Allen," Toma pipes up, "If the Akuma transformed into him then how will we know who-"

"Don't worry about that now," Kanda cuts him off. "If the Akuma transforms, we'll be able to spot it immediately."

"Yeah," I agree, holding up my left arm, "Just remember, Allen's is on the left."

"And besides," Kanda adds, "It would be pretty stupid of the thing to transform into the kid at this point."

"What was that?" I suddenly cry.

Kanda jumps. "What?" he snaps, "I didn't hear anything."

"Over there," Toma points behind us.

Kanda and I both whirl around to see a figure standing a short distance away, bathed in the lingering nighttime shadows. With the baggy black coat, crop of messy white hair, and crooked scar, it is unmistakably Allen.

But something is wrong…

Kanda's hand goes to his sword and a ribbon of Blood coils out from under my sleeve as we stare the figure down. Allen's grey eyes are wide with a kind of terror that stirs something inside me. The Akuma always twisted Allen's features into monstrous expressions. This is nothing like that now.

"Kanda…" the figure whispers.

It's Allen's voice, and yet…

 _That's not right; the Akuma spoke with its own voice._

"See? The sides are reversed," Toma points out what we've all now noticed.

The air is suddenly filled with the cool, white-blue light of Kanda's Mugen as he draws it from its sheath. "Don't just stand there. Attack me creature!" he barks at the figure, holding his sword aloft.

"No…Master Kan…da," the figure's voice is barely a whisper, its form trembling all over.

"Kanda, hold on a second," I interject, but he ignores me.

"Summon Misfortune!" he calls as the blue light increases.

"Kanda, stop!"

"Underworld Creatures: First Illusion," Kanda slices his blade through the air, creating a schism of light in the space before him. From within the crack, comes crawling slimy, slithering creatures all eyes and teeth and sickly green skin. "Be vanquished!" Kanda bellows as the creatures rush towards the figure.

 _It's not Allen, and it's not the Akuma._

"No…Master Kanda," the figure whispers.

"Stop!" I rush forward, hardly thinking as Blood pours out from under my cloak. I jump in front of the figure as the Creatures are about to attack him. My Blood hardens into a blade around my arm. There is a piercing crack and a blinding light as the Creatures collide with my Blood: the Innocence cancels each other out and evaporates into dust.

Kanda stares at me, dumbstruck. I ignore him as my Blood blade collapses and falls to the ground, steaming slightly.

"Thank you, Mistress Williams…" the figure whispers before collapsing to the ground.

"Who are you?" I ask, crouching down beside him.

"Idiot!" Kanda cries, "What the hell are you doing?" I glance his way. "You fool! Why would you defend an Akuma?"

"Shut you face and listen to me for once!" I shoot back, causing Kanda to falter slightly, "Do you know what this is? This is called 'keeping your guard up', and if you'd been doing that, Kanda, you would have noticed this so-called Akuma kept calling you 'Master Kanda'. Now, I don't think the enemy would show you such politeness." Carefully, I pick up the figure, cradling him in my arms. It is clearly Allen's face, but there is a heavy gash across the right side of his cheek. However, no blood is coming out of it. "That's strange," I muse.

"What do you mean?" Kanda demands.

"Something's wrong with his face," I reply.

"Mistress Williams…" the figure groans.

Gingerly, I grasp the edge of the gash's loose skin between my thumb and forefinger and pull. The 'skin' comes away as easy as paper mache in my fingers. To my shock, there is another face underneath it.

"Toma!" I cry.

"Toma?" Kanda exclaims

"Look out! The Akuma is right beside you!" Allen jumps down from the roof of the building beside us, arm ready to strike. However, the Akuma behind Kanda is faster.

The bandages around Toma's mouth break apart to reveal shark-like teeth and a long, purple tongue. Clawed arms appear from under the folds of his beige cloak.

"Kanda, look out!" I cry as the other Exorcist turns towards his new foe. However, he's not fast enough.

There is a sickening crunch and the sound of smashed stone as well as a grunt of pain from Kanda as the Akuma knocks him clean through a nearby wall.

A white gleam flashes in my peripheral vision, and I see Mugen hurl through the air only to land standing erect in the road, its tip wedged between the cobblestones.

"No, Kanda!" Allen rushes through the hole the Akuma made in the wall. As the dust clears, I can make out the image of the Akuma, still in Toma's form; his large arms have Kanda pinned by the throat and shoved hard against the wall; a spider web of cracks feather out from behind his skull, and I catch a whiff of his blood.

"You son of a bitch," Kanda groans. "You were there the whole time?"

"Yes, indeed," the Akuma chirps, "You see I'm very good with disguises now. After I crushed that little, yellow golem, I found this guy creeping around the shadows. So, I just copied him, and you couldn't even tell the difference." As he spoke, his grip tightens around Kanda's throat; the other Exorcist gasps as his windpipe is flattened. "However, you did figure out that our sides are reversed, which is why I put that grey-haired kid's skin on that Finder guy. Aren't I a genius?" A cleft appears once again in the center of the Akuma's face as he slowly slithers out of Toma's skin. "A carbon copy, you had no idea, did you Exorcist?" the Akuma jeers.

Kanda opens his eyes and gives the Akuma a defiant smirk. The Akuma cackles as he slices his claw through Kanda's chest. Pain blooms in the back of my mind as Kanda is thrown to ground, his blood spraying everywhere.

"Kanda!" I jump to my feet, leaving Toma's side as I rush into the rubble after Allen.

In the doorway to the now ruined house, we both pause so as not to give ourselves away. Silently, I instruct Allen to attack the creature from behind, but not until I got Kanda out of the way.

I then proceed to flatten myself on the floor directly behind the Akuma. Inching along on my stomach, I crawl towards the Akuma's stalky legs as he bends down over Kanda.

He lies slumped in a heap amongst the rubble, not moving a muscle.

I grit my teeth, suddenly anxious. _Oh, Kanda, don't be dead. Come on, you're far too pretty to die_.

The Akuma shrieks with laughter. "He's dead! The Exorcist is dead!"

"Wrong, Akuma," Kanda whispers, slowly lifting his head as blood trickles down the side of his face, "I can't die, not until I find someone. Until that happens, I'll still be here, so deal with it."

"Wrong answer!" the Akuma cries as he backhands Kanda across the face, then again, and then slashes his claws through his chest, then a second time.

"Hold tight," I whisper. My Blood shoots out fast as a cobra strike. The coils wrap around Kanda's legs and arms, pulling him out of harm's way with as much tenderness as I can muster.

He groans in pain as I drag him away. The Akuma hardly notices as Allen appears practically from nowhere and knocks him hard in the back of the head.

As debris and dust rain down around us, I drag Kanda over to the far wall and lean him up against it. His skin is sickly pale in the dim light; his face is twisted in an expression of barely suppressed agony.

I grit my teeth. _This looks bad._

My body had only just managed to heal itself, I wasn't completely certain it would be able to heal Kanda.

He groans, his eyes rolling back in his head as he slumps his chin against his chest.

"Hey! Hey, Pretty Boy," I slap the side of his face, "Come on, you still with me?"

Kanda groans, his eyes fluttering open, "You idiot…The Akuma was wide open," he whispers, "Why did you waste your time saving me when you could have attacked him?"

"Allen's handling him," I reply, pulling a handkerchief from the folds of my coat and gently dabbing the blood from the side of Kanda's face.

He shrinks away from me. "Oh, and that worked out so well the _first_ time."

"Just shut up and hold still." I begin to undo the buttons of what remains of his tattered coat. The slashes look deep, burning a dark garnet red. Kanda gasps as I brush them too carelessly.

"What are you doing?" he demands, jerking slightly.

"I said hold still," I insist, tugging off one of my filthy gloves and allowing a ribbon of Blood to bloom out of my palm, "This won't hurt a bit."

"What are you doing?" Kanda repeats, his eyes wide as he tries to squirm away from me.

"I'm going to put some of my Blood inside you," I explain, "I know it's weird. I know it's creepy, but it helps. I promise."

"Get away from me," Kanda cries, trying to knock me aside.

I grab his arm, "Kanda, I'm trying to help you."

"I'm not letting you put anything inside me!" he cries, his eyes burning with rage and…was it fear? "Never again. Do you hear me? Never again!"

Before I can respond, Allen knocks the Akuma through the wall by our heads. I shield Kanda as the stone splinters apart and covers us in a fine layer of ash.

Allen walks over to us just as the debris clears, and the Akuma leers up at us from the clouds of dust.

"You can try all you want, but it's useless," he chuckles.

Allen grits his teeth. With a cry of frustration, his arm is consumed in light as he wraps his claws around the Akuma's spindly body and shoves it against a house across the street. He flies through several walls and crashes out of sight.

Allen dares to breathe a sigh of relief. _We're safe…for now._

He turns to me, "Is Kanda alright?"

"I suppose so," I reply, "But he won't let me heal him."

"We don't have time for that now," Allen insists, "We need to get out of here before the AKuma comes back."

I nod, "Alright," I gesture to Kanda, "I'll carry him; you get Toma, ok?"

"Ok," Allen replies before hurrying to retrieve Toma's still unconscious body. I swing Kanda's limp form around my shoulders, stumbling slightly as he presses all his weight against me. He no longer has the strength to even stand, and his legs drag behind him as we hurry through the streets after Allen as useless as a dummy's.

As we rush through the abandoned city's streets, ears strained through the quiet for any sound that the Akuma is nearby, I notice that the houses begin to disappear and are replaced with high walls on all sides, faded and cracked with age and moss and held up by what were once majestic pillars.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Allen, who is walking with Toma draped over his shoulder, stumble slightly. He blinks rapidly as though trying to clear away a fog.

"You alright, kid?" I ask him.

"Yeah," Allen replies, sounding a little unsure, "The Akuma just hit me really hard is all. There's this weird sort of pressure in my head."

My brow furrows. "You might have a concussion, kid. Here, give me Toma. You need to conserve your strength."

"No, I'm alright," Allen insists, "You've got your hands full with Kanda anyways. I'll be alright."

"Master Walker," Toma's hoarse whisper interrupts us, "Please, just leave me here. You're injured too; it's alright. You don't have to take me."

Allen smiles grimly, "It'll take a lot more than that to convince me to leave you."

"He's right though," I add, stumbling somewhat as Kanda slides from my grip and almost falls to the floor, "We'll never make it out of this city alive like this."

"If only there's somewhere we can hide," Allen whispers.

A memory sparks in my head, "That girl said something about a hiding spot."

"What?" Distracted, Allen suddenly falls to his knees.

"Kid, are you alright?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

I go to help him and Toma up, but I suddenly pause as a bizarre feeling rushes through my body.

It is sadness, I'm certain of that, but there's something else. Some kind of…contentment perhaps. No, that wasn't the right word. Peace? Maybe…Comfort, yes that's it. A sense of comfort in a familiar thing, familiar words, a familiar melody.

And then I hear it, the sound wafting up from within the depths of the dark city, from within the blackened heart of the Land Forsaken by God, I could hear an Angel singing, and it stirs something familiar inside of me.

"Allen, do you hear that?" I whisper.

"Yeah, I do," Allen glances down, his hands are pressed against the cobblestones to break his fall. "It's coming from below…There's a draft!" he suddenly cries.

"Something's down there, the hiding spot that girl mentioned," I exclaim.

"What do you mean?" Allen asks.

Quickly, I explain to Allen what Kanda and I had learned from the Ghost of Mater: how he was called Guzol and was supposedly a living doll powered by Innocence that was created to bring happiness to the people of Mater, and how the girl that was with him had mentioned some sort of hiding place.

His expression thoughtful, Allen gets up and walks over to a nearby wall. He places his hand against the stones.

"I think it's coming from here," he calls to me. He then wedges his fingers between the worn stones; with a grunt, he tugs firmly on the rock, and they give way.

Beyond the secret door there is a set of scuffed steps, cracked and crawling with mold; they descend down into an unknown darkness. Despite the less than appealing appearance, I breathe a sigh of relief.

 _Good, we found a safe place to hide._

Timcampy flutters anxiously around Allen's head as he heaves Toma back over his shoulder and starts down the steps. I tighten my grip around Kanda and follow close behind him, pausing momentarily to put the stone back behind us.

As we walk down into the darkness, the air gets colder and damper. Chills roll over my skin, but they do not penetrate my body. I can barely see where I'm going, but I can hear Allen's labored breaths as he walks ahead of me.

"At the bottom of the steps, we should stop," he whispers, "We need rest."

I nod in agreement, than remember he can't see me. "Yeah." We walk a few more paces, staggering and slipping through the darkness.  
"How much deeper does this thing go?" I ask through gritted teeth, stumbling for the third or fourth time.

Finally, we reach the bottom of the steps and end up in a long hallway lined with stone pillars and door less archways that sit like gaping mouths with nothing but blackness beyond them.

Allen and I pause at the bottom of the steps, but then I hear it again. It echoes throughout the drafty chamber, the sound of a person singing a song: a lilting haunted melody that stirs something deep inside my chest that I didn't think I was capable of feeling anymore.

Wordlessly, Allen and I follow the song through one of the archways. It leads us into a great open space that looks like it might have once been an amphitheater. Great slabs of cracked stone are dotted around the stage like discarded building blocks, and a great chunk of the roof is missing so the steadily rising sun peers down at the scene below.

The song is louder here, seeming to waft out from the walls and up from the floor. It takes me a second to pinpoint its location. In the center of the room is the little girl from before. She is kneeling in her tattered robes with Guzol's head on her lab. She has removed her hat so her blonde hair cascades around her shoulders like a river of gold. She sits still as a statue, her hands clasped as though in prayer, her eyes closed as she sings the melody that seems to pour out from every inch of this place.

Seeping from between the abandoned houses, the destroyed marketplace, the cracked walls, the splintered roofs; the very ground we are walking on reverberated this song. It is the song of Mater itself.

The sun rises further over the rim of the open ceiling, the sky seeming to split apart, forming a halo of light around the two figures. Silently, Allen and I draw closer to the curious display, and the lyrics to the song became clearer:

 _Lacrimosa dies illa  
Qua resurget ex favilla  
Judicandus homo reus.  
Huic ergo parce, Deus:  
Pie Jesu Domine _

The words echo inside my head; I couldn't understand them in my mind, yet my heart seemed to know the meaning. As the girl continues to sing, I gaze upon her porcelain face, seeing reflected in it the same feeling I'd experience before we'd descended into the city's underbelly.

 _It makes sense now, the feeling when we touched, this sharing of emotion…A girl who can see the soul of Mater._

A tear slips down my cheek, but I pay it no mind.  
 _I knew it._

As I continue to look on, Guzo's words return to the forefront of my mind:  
 _It was very hard here._ _The rocks, the dry weather, the sunlight was blazing and oppressive. People actually used to call Mater 'the Land Forsaken by God'. The citizens who lived in great suffering and despair wanted desperately to forget their troubles, even if only for a little while. So they created a doll, a doll that would sing and dance. The city eventually fell into ruin and the people disappeared, but the doll remained. And here I am the Ghost of Mater."_

It felt like an eternity, standing there, letting the music flow through us. However, the sound eventually ceased, as did the sensation inside me.

The girl bows her head solemnly before turning her gaze towards Allen and me lingering in the doorway with Kanda and Toma.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Allen's eyes suddenly widen. He understands what I already figured out.

Guzol slowly rises into a sitting position, and the girl continues to look at us.  
"You came," she whispers.

"Forgive us, but we had to," Allen replies.

As he speaks, I step forward, "You're the doll," I declare to the girl, "The Ghost of Mater."

* * *

A/N: I decided to start capitalizing Cas's 'blood' because it just seemed to make sense to me. I hope you enjoyed!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Let Me Hear Your Lullaby

* * *

The light of the faded white sun slowly drapes its color over the grey, early morning air as Allen and I stand face to face with the girl.  
I step forward, "You're the doll, the Ghost of Mater."

The Doll stares at me; her golden hair glints in the pale sunlight. Her bottom lip trembles, and for a moment, I think she's about to cry. Suddenly, she lets out an ear-piercing shriek that stabs through my skull like a rusty nail. Jamming her fingers into the side of a half-crushed pillar nearby, the Doll heaves the carved stone over her head and hurls it at Allen and me.

Allen and I scream, diving to the left just as the pillar sails over our heads and crashes into the wall behind us. Dust rains all around us as we sprint to the other side of the room. My grip slackens on Kanda's semi-conscious form, and I almost drop him.

"Hey, hold on!" Allen calls to the Doll, but she doesn't listen as she picks up another pillar and chucks it at us. Quickly, Allen and I set Kanda and Toma down against the wall before jumping away as the second pillar crashes down.

The glow of Allen's arm activating mixes with the sun as he sprints along the ground. He rushes up to the Doll just as she gets her arms around a third pillar. I run along the other side as the Doll lifts the pillar above her head with a grunt of exertion.  
Wordlessly, Allen rushes forward, and his giant hand closes around the pillar with a blunt crack, stopping the pillar mid-throw.  
The Doll screams again, trying to wrestle the pillar from Allen's vice-like grip.  
From behind her, torrents of red thread shoot out from under my cloak and coil around the girl's limp body. Her grip goes slack as her arms are pinned to her sides by my Blood ropes.  
She shrieks in frustration, thrashing against my bonds, her small form writhing pitifully against my strength.

"Stop this," Allen says to her, "Tell me why you're attacking us."

However, the Doll ignores him and continues to struggle against my grip. I twist my Blood tighter in my grip. "Come on," I call to her, "I'm no good fighting against a cute girl like you."

The Doll pauses, glancing back at me in surprise.  
Her single blue eye is swimming with so many emotions, as though it is compensating for the other eye being bandaged.  
The Doll's thin frame trembles violently within the grasp of my blood; she suddenly lets out a sob as her kneels buckle, and she drops to the floor.

Allen and I stare at her in surprise. Allen blinks, seemingly forgetting he's still holding the pillar and quickly sets it down with a loud crash.

I, meanwhile, release my Blood ropes. The Doll looks up at Allen as I walk back around to stand in front of her; I can vaguely see tears pooling in her one blue eye through the half-light.

"Pretty soon, Guzol will be dead," the Doll whispers, "Please, don't take me from him until he's gone." She looks up at us, her gaze imploring as she clasps her hands against her chest. "I'll let you have my heart. Please, just don't separate us!"

Allen and I glance at each other. I certainly wasn't expecting this.

At that moment, Kanda coughs from behind us, groaning in pain as he slumps forward onto the cold floor.

"I better go take care of him," I say to Allen, glancing back at the Doll as I turn to leave, "Watch her."

Allen nods solemnly, crouching down beside the doll. He tries to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she shies away from his touch; her one-eyed gaze still untrusting.

Meanwhile, I hurry back over to the far wall where we'd left Kanda and Toma. The latter is awake and sitting up with only a slightly pale look to his face. Kanda, meanwhile, is out cold, and more blood is quickly pooling at the base of his shirt.

The air around me is ripe with the scent of his blood, and the pain he is experiencing stabs dully at the back of my brain. I sniff heavily as I drop to my knees in front of him, tearing off a shred of my shirt in order to make a bandage; I can't tell if it's my imagination, but Kanda's blood smells different to me than most other blood I've come into contact with: it has almost a sweet scent to it. It's still definitely human, but there is something…off about it.

I try not to think about it too much as I finish wrapping Kanda's wounds; the bandages are already turning pink as I finish. With Toma's help, I then carry Kanda over to where Allen is sitting with the Doll, who has settled once more on Guzol's lap. My thoughts return to him,  
 _I wonder, why did he pretend to be the Ghost? Was it to protect the real Doll?_

As gently as we can, Toma and I lie Kanda down on the ground in the center of the pavilion, the sunlight tracing pale lines across his elegant features, currently twisted in pain. I drop to my knees and place his head in my lap. Allen takes off his coat, bunching it up into a ball and passes it to me to be used as a pillow. I stare down at Kanda as his form goes limp, seemingly collapsed fully either from the new comfort or sheer exhaustion. His face truly is stunning when it's not scowling or full of pain. I trail my fingers through his blue-black hair in an almost absentminded manner, gently unraveling it from its ponytail and letting it flow out around my knees like spilled ink. Timcampy races circles with Kanda's black golem around my head.

Beside me, Toma settles down Indian style, his mostly bandaged face watching the Doll intently. She's been silent for the last few moments we've been getting Kanda settled, but now she speaks again:  
"Did you know, when there were still people in Mater, it used to be called the Land Forsaken by God," she whispers.

"Yes, I had heard that," Allen replies.

"Trying to escape the harsh weather and the blazing sun, the citizens of Mater began to dig underground, and they built living spaces down in the earth," the Doll explains. "They kept digging and digging for years on end until, finally, they found something."

Then something very strange began to happen: as the Doll's voice echoes throughout the amphitheater, empty aside from us, the image of her sitting with Guzol, Allen, and Toma begins to fade away, flickering in and out of focus like a scene caught in candlelight. Another scene becomes layered over the reality I'm experiencing, like two photographs whose ink has bled together.

I watch, mesmerized, as the details of the Doll's story are played out before my very eyes. I see the black earth giving way, sunlight pouring into the hole in the dry earth, its fingers spreading across the face of the object it had not touched with its warmth in countless millennia. Faceless men with large, rough hands reach down to gently pluck the Innocence from its hiding place and return it to the world it had hidden from for so long.

"They were suffering and in great despair," the Doll's voice calls across the void between the true reality and the reality of her story that I am witnessing. "The city was slowly dying around them. They created a doll that would bring them comfort and help them to forget those hard times, even if just for a minute."

The musty scent of sawdust tickles the end of my nostrils as a dark chamber crowded with mannequins swims before my eyes. A small child, long since forgotten, slowly, meaningfully places the shard of Innocence, glowing like a private sun, into the chest of the porcelain body lying still as a corpse amongst the graveyard of mannequins. The light of the Innocence fills the doll, pooling in its eyes as it slowly lifts its head and stares out into the world.

"A doll that would sing and dance."

And there is the amphitheater, one image layered on top of the other, over the grey reality of the ancient ruins there is the golden image of the theater in it's prime, when the pillars stretched high to the heavens miles above them. The people are pressing in around the perimeter; a crowd so large it seems to go on forever on all sides, and in the center, like a single drop of sunlight stood the doll.

Her gold-spun hair mixes with the flow of her feathery white dress as she stands as still as a statue, her hands clasped in prayer and sings that same haunted tune that has most likely roamed the streets of this city for centuries.

 _Lacrimosa dies illa_

 _Qua resurget ex favilla_

Those same mix of emotions tug at my insides as I watch the Doll sing for the people of Mater.  
"Even after the city fell into ruin hundreds of years later, and there was no one left to hear her sing, the doll continued singing, alone in the world."

Dark clouds cover the sun as the crowd slowly vanished, swallowed by time. It preyed upon the pillars next, withering the structures surrounding the Doll with weather and age. The once beautiful buildings crumble and collapse. Finally, time touches its withered hand upon the Doll itself; the forgotten creature that stands at the center of this miserable world, doing the one thing it can do: sing and keep singing.

But her limbs rust, and her dress crumbles to ash, her screen greys and her eye cracks, her beautiful hair is now matted and tangled, the color of raw chicken. She staggers through the streets, a lifeless phantom, lost and alone, whose only company is the moon.

"Then, one day, a small child arrived in the now abandoned town." The buildings part around this single life force, almost shying away from the small figure who stumbles blindly into the world of the Doll and the moon and the grey shadows. He trips and falls down in the dirt, his bandaged face concealed behind a ripped cloak. "He had no family, and had simply wandered around until he'd discovered Mater."

The boy lay gasping in the dirt as a shadow looms over him.  
 _Little boy…_ The shaggy, twisted creature speaks in a cracked, quiet tone; _Would you like to hear a song?_

The boy gazes up into the grey-fleshed face of the Doll, its one damaged eye like a gaping wound calling out of the darkness. _Huh?_

 _Little boy, would you like to hear a song?_ The Doll repeats, its flat voice strained with thinly spread desperation and the desire to perform the one act it was ever created to perform.

"It had been five hundred years since Mater had ceased to exist, and it wasn't the first time a human had stumbled into the city. I met five adults over the years before they came, but when I ask each of them to hear a song, they all attacked me."

Shards of gold splatter across the dirt as the humans splinter the doll's body, and she lies limp in the ash.

"I thought the boy would do the same thing. I was just going to kill him if he didn't accept me."

The Dolls hand constricts into a withered fist, "As I had done to all of the others before him."

 _Little boy, would you like to hear a song?_

The boy gapes up at the doll, not saying a word.

"I am a doll created by humans to do their bidding; it is my only reason for existence."

 _Please, let me sing for you!_

 _Ms. Ghost?_ The little boy whispers, _You would really sing a song for me? No one has ever done anything like that._ His tears glint like sliver across his shadowed cheeks. _Miss, my name is Guzol. Please, sing for me."_

The moon parts the clouds and spreads its light across the two lonely figures standing in the abandoned city's streets; they may as well have been the only two beings in the world. Slowly, the doll drops to her knees beside Guzol and begins to sing her song.

 _Lacrimosa dies illa_

 _Qua resurget ex favilla…_

The song fades into the current of time as the boy Guzol brushed through the tangles of the doll's golden hair. _Just look, your hair is so pretty now, Lala._

 _Lala?_

 _Can I please call you that, Ms. Ghost?_

 _Sure_

A single star falls across the lives of these two strangers, brought together because they were alone as they sit out and watch the heavens shine with starlight.

"Several decades have passed since then, and Guzol has stayed with me all this time."

Guzol's horrible coughs overshadow the Doll called Lala's words as the scenes the Innocence has witnessed slowly fade back into the depths of the river of time, soon to be forgotten. I blink rapidly, my eyes are sticky with half-shed tears that are once again not my own. I've only ever cried my own tears once in my life, and I'd probably never cry them again.

"Oh, Guzol," Lala tenderly reaches up to touch the old man's cracked mask as his whole body is racked by the coughs. "Are you alright?"

"Lala," Guzol's voice is a hoarse whisper, "Stay by my side until the end, and let me be the one to stop you with my own hands when I die."

Lala closes her eyes and rests her head against the old man's chest, "Yes, Guzol. I belong to you and so does my fate." She doesn't open her eyes or lift her head as she addresses Allen and me, "He soon won't be able to move, and I can barely feel his heart beat as it grows weaker." Her small hands curl into fists, "So please, give us a little longer, and let me be here with him when he passes on. During the past five hundred years, since the city of Mater fell into ruin, Guzol has been the only one who accepted me." She opens her one eye and turns her imploring gaze to Allen and me. "I promise I will gladly hand my heart over to you when he is gone if you will let me stay with him as his doll until the end. Please, I beg of you."

Allen lowers his head, a sigh escaping his lips. I glance at him, but don't say a word.

It's Kanda who shatters the silence. "We can't!" I jump as he sits up suddenly; I'd forgotten he was here. "You're asking us to wait around until that old man dies?!" Kanda cries, his voice strains as he tries to move through the pain of his injuries, "We don't have time for that; we don't know when the Akuma will discover us here!"

"Kanda," Allen starts, but the other man cuts him off.

"What did we come here for?" he demands, "Get over there and take that doll's heart, Short Stack!" He gasps as his whole body heaves from the exertion of his forceful words.

"You want to cough up a lung while your at it?" I ask with a dash of humor, reaching out to feel his chest, but he knocks my hand aside, his glare venomous.

Beside us, Allen gets to his feet, drawing our attention. He stands with his back facing us, "I can't," he declares.

Kanda makes a funny choking sound like he's trying to argue but also trying not to cough up blood.

"I'm sorry," Allen adds, turning to face us.

Kanda snarls as he snatches up Allen's discarded Exorcist coat and hurls it at his face, "Take this! That coat wasn't made to be used as a damn pillow. It was to be worn by an Exorcist." He whirls on me, "If the kid doesn't have the guts, then why don't you take his heart, huh Nosebleed? Or are you too busy playing nursemaid."

Kanda's lucky he's got a hole in his chest or I might have punched him in the gut. However, I'm too torn by the scene before me as I glance between Allen and Kanda, both of whom have good points.

Wordlessly, I turn back to Kanda; my face probably looking pretty helpless.

"Useless," Kanda grumbles as he hauls himself to his feet, throwing his own coat around his bare shoulders. He walks past Allen, who's staring at the silver badge emblazoned on his coat, his expression thoughtful. "Sacrifice is what leads to salvation. Hear me?" Kanda snaps at him.

Allen's eyes widen as Kanda's words pierce through us both. I slowly get to my feet as Toma watches our exchange with his usual unreadable expression.

"No, please don't take it from me yet!" Lala begs as Kanda limps over to her. She buries her face in Guzol's chest, hiding from the gleam of Kanda's Mugen as he unsheathes the blade.

"Please…not just yet," Guzol's shakily whispers.

"Stop," Allen calls. Kanda glances at him in surprise. The other boy steps forward, putting his coat back on. "Let me be the one. Step away from them and let me be the 'sacrifice' instead. They just want to choose the way their lives end. Nothing more!"

I stare at Allen in shock, at the intensity burning in his eyes like molten silver. _Cripes, it's easy to forget how intense this kid can get._

"And until that happens, I won't take the Innocence from this doll," Allen continues, "If I destroy the Akuma, there should be no problem honoring their request. " Kanda doesn't respond, just coldly stares Allen down. He doesn't waver, "How can you stand there and be so cold blooded towards these people. If this really-"

 _Smack!_

The blunt sound of impact followed by the crash of Allen landing flat on his back echoes throughout the amphitheater as Kanda socks the younger Exorcist in the jaw. As Allen hits the ground, I lunge forward and punch Kanda in the face before he even has a chance to recover from the pain the action caused his injuries.

"Honestly, do I have to separate you two like a couple of first graders?" I exclaim as I stand between them.

"Mistress Williams is right; this won't solve anything," Toma pipes up.

However, Kanda ignores him. "You're naïve outlook is ridiculous," he snarls at Allen, "You'd compromise yourself for others just because you feel _sorry_ for them? Where is your pride? Don't you cherish anything?"

Allen lies on the ground in a momentary daze, "Kanda, you're wrong. I don't feel sorry for them," he whispers as he slowly sits up, "And it's my pride that helps me stand up against your anger right now." He glances at Lala and Guzol huddled together, "I feel sorrow for them because their bond will soon be broken. I mean, doesn't that mean _anything_ to you? You know they don't have much longer, you'll still get the Innocence. All their asking for is time, so I'll gladly offer myself in their place."

I stare at Allen and can almost see the wait of his words on his hunched shoulders. I'm suddenly angry, "Allen, don't throw yourself away for a lost cause! You're sentiments are appreciated, but sometimes…Sometimes you can't just choose your own fate, Allen; sometimes things just happen, and people die and you can't do anything about it."  
Before Allen can respond, I turn to Lala and Guzol. "Five minutes," I say, holding up my hand for emphasis, "I'll give you five minutes, but that's all. If the old man isn't dead by then, I'm sorry but we have to take your heart. We can't wait around here forever."

I expect Lala to be angry, but her expression is oddly soft. "Thank you," she whispers with a smile.

But her smile suddenly collapses as a shadow passes over her form; the whisper of shredding fabric ripples throughout the amphitheater as Lala's form is splintered apart at her center.

Silence follows that single sound of impact as Allen, Kanda, and I all freeze in horror.

Lala's lips part to form a single word: "Guzol," before she is yanked from the old mans' grasp and pulled into a shower of dust that is raining down around us. Guzol falls to the ground with a silent scream, his arms still outstretched.

Allen reaches out his hand in a vain attempt to grab her, but a part of him knows it's fruitless.

The Doll vanishes into the shadows and, moving all around us like the ground itself, is the sound of something heavy sliding along underground.

My eyes flit to the space surrounding me, anxiety pumping in my Blood.

"It's him," Kanda says gravely.

"I can't see him," I cry.

No sooner have a spoken, the ground opens up, and the Akuma springs up from the earth like a dilapidated jack-in-the-box. "I've got it!" it shrieks through peals of laughter, "I've got the Innocence; it's mine!" It cackles gleefully as it holds the shining green-white crystal aloft, clasped in the claws of its copy of Allen's arm. His other hand loosens its grip of Lala's lifeless form, and she collapses in a heap beside Guzol.

"La..la," the old man's voice shakes violently as he paws desperately towards her corpse, "La..la."

A sudden flash of red splits my skull in two, and I inhale sharply as the rage assaults my body. Anger that isn't my own forces itself through my veins as Blood spews from my pores and snaps around my body like a nest of scarlet snakes.

Through my glaring vision, I catch a glimpse of Allen slowly moving towards the Akuma; I can see the anger radiating off of him like purple-black smoke. His whole form shakes like a leaf in a storm, his voice trembles as he whispers: "Give it back…Give it back…GIVE THE INNOCENCE BACK!"

The purple fire flares up around him as his cursed eye bleeds red. His left arm twists itself, melting and reshaping: a black, bulbous shape. "Give the Innocence back. Do you hear me? Give it back!" Allen cries as the arm continues to writhe as it remolds its form.

Allen cries out in a mixture of rage and pain, seething through tightly clenched teeth, his whole body rigid where he stands.  
"Kid," I cry, stupidly starting forward, but I feel a hand grip my elbow.

"Don't be stupid," Kanda calls to me.

I glance back at him, "What's happening to him?"

"His Anti-Akuma Weapon is transforming" Toma exclaims, seeming just as surprised as I was.

"Yes, he's going to rebuild it," Kanda adds, "Parasite-types can alter their Weapons with emotions."

 _Really? I'd never thought of that before. But I suppose it makes sense: with my Blood, all I have to do was think what I want it to become, and it does._

"Even the Innocence seems to be reacting to his feelings," I whisper, feeling Allen's rage's hold on me like a fist in my chest, "His emotions are this powerful?" His wrath is rocking me to my core, and I can hardly stand still.

Allen stands bathed in the dark light of his furry; the arm manifesting into his hatred for the Akuma, the bulky shape constricting itself under the force of its own weight.

Allen suddenly lunges forward, the power of his anger urging him towards his opponent.  
"Idiot!" Kanda calls after him, "The Weapon hasn't completed its formation yet!"

Allen doesn't seem to hear him or he doesn't care as he holds his left arm out towards the Akuma. There is a light like fire that consumes almost everything in the room. I can feel it's heat singing the skin on my cheeks as the new Weapon takes shape fully before my eyes. I see the Innocence within the depths of the light reemerge like a caterpillar from a cocoon.

Allen comes crashing down on the Akuma, brandishing his arm that has now taken the shape of a sleek, white gun, fueled by the glowing coals of fury from deep within his soul.

My breath almost leaves me, "Holy shit."

"It's a gun," Kanda exclaims as Allen unleashes the fire from within the barrel of the gun. Streaks of light rain down upon the Akuma, who cries out, more from surprise than anything else.

The room is full of light, the heat of it like a weight upon my body as Allen fires over and over again. The room becomes littered with the Innocence bullets, gleaming like shards of fire. The Akuma's body is consumed under the weight of them as Allen perches atop the glowing structure his Weapon has created.

He turns to face us, exhaling quietly, and I'm released from his anger. A hollow feeling is left behind as Allen gazes down at the lifeless forms of Guzol and Lala lying face down in the dirt.

Nobody moves. Where was the Akuma? _Did he get it?_

A streak of grey flashes in the corner of my vision.  
"Kid!" Allen whirls around just as the Akuma's lilting jeers bubble up from the earth.

"You can't hit me with that thing if I'm sand, can you?" the colorless streak cackles as it slips in and out of sight.

Allen barely as time to react before his pyre of bullets splinters apart beneath him. The claws of the Akuma's mirror arm pierce the sky, but Allen manages to dive out of the way before they can ensnare him. However, he still isn't fast enough; the Akuma's sand body blooms out of the ground: the endless wave of grains crashes down upon Allen and the Akuma sweeps him up into its bulk, swallowing him whole.

"Kid!" I cry again, sprinting forward.

The Akuma chuckles, "Comfy, huh?" He rubs his bulging gut. "This is it: while you die, I keep the Innocence!" He brandishes his clawed arms. "Mind if I help you with dying?" he whispers.

Cackling like a fucking maniac, the abomination sinks its claws repeatedly into its own stomach, slicing through the sand again and again, each passing clean through as a knife through butter.

I strain my ears to hear over the sound of repeated stabbing and endless laughter for any indication that Allen had been hit.

Detecting none, I manage to reach the Akuma without him noticing me, or maybe he just didn't care as I duck between his legs.

 _Hang in there kid_ , I feather my Blood up from under my finger tips and slowly slip it through the ripples of the Akuma's sandy flesh.

The Blood feelers spread throughout the skin, pawing desperately for any sign of life. _There!_ I feel the spark of Innocence jolt up my arms as my Blood coils around its target.

With a grunt, I stagger backward as I pull Allen out from the Akuma's body. He crashes to the ground in a shower of sand, coughing and choking up the pale white dirt.

The Akuma doesn't seem to have noticed Allen's absence as it continues to repeatedly stab its own abdomen. That is until Allen jumps back up and shoots at it again.

Seeing its opponent has escaped, the Akuma whirls around and blocks Allen's next round of bullets. I scramble to the side and wrap my Blood strings around its arm, pinning it back so it can't deflect an attack.

Its sand body shatters as Allen hits it again, but quickly reforms. "Hold him there, Cas!" I hear Allen cry.

I glance up, and my eyes meet a burst of light as Allen's Anti-Akuma Weapon reforms again: this time becoming the blade of a sword.

"It changed again!" Kanda exclaims.

More Blood pours out from my body, and I wrap thread after thread around the Akuma's form. The creature struggles, thrashing against my binds as I fight to hold it steady.

My knees buckle and my arms almost give way as shards of sand rain down all around me, stinging my eyes. I grunt in pain and squeeze my eyes shut, feeling the strain on the Blood pouring from my arms.

There is a flash as Allen brings his blade down on the Akuma's head and slices him clean in two.

A thin purple line slowly grows wider as the sand skin falls away revealing the Harlequin underneath.  
"Oh no, my skin!" the creature titters, glancing about wildly, "The sand. Sand!" It lunges back towards the ground.

"You're not going anywhere!" I call as I wrap my Blood around its legs. They twist together and the Akuma stops short. My legs jerk suddenly, and I nearly lose my balance.

Gritting my teeth, I reinforce my grip and try to hold my ground as the Akuma twists around. "I've got you now!" he cries, wriggling his mirror arm free.

The steel-white claws fill my vision, and I dive out of the way just in time. Rolling through the dirt, my binds give way, and the Akuma breaks free.

I sit up to see it looming over me. "Cas, duck!" Allen calls, and I flatten myself in the sand just as more bullets light up the air.

The Akuma cackles as its body is bombarded by round after round of bullets.

As I scramble out of the way, flashes of images swim through my mind.

 _Lala, stay by my side until the end._

An old man crawling towards a Doll's lifeless form lying broken in the dirt.

"He loved her!" Allen cries, "I won't let you get away with this! I WON'T!"

I feel my insides twist, my limbs ache from exertion, but my Blood adds fuel to the fire. I rise to me feet and turn to face the Akuma. His arm is withering down from Allen's constant assault, the skin melting and crumbling away under the fire of the bullets

"I don't understand," the Akuma snarls, "How can he be beating me? We're using the same arm!"

Without thinking, I feather my Blood through the barrage of bullets and curl it around the dying limb. The Akuma struggles to break free once more and maintain its defense against Allen's onslaught.

I bite my tongue and hold form, my feet dragging against the rough earth as I struggle for a footing .The Akuma's strength tugs at every part of my body, but I hold firm.

The Akuma shrieks and howls, its peals of laughter turning to screams of pain. I clench my jaw as my whole body shakes under the weight of its monstrous limb.

"Allen, destroy this thing" I hiss, my voice shaking slightly, "Destroy it!"

Suddenly, the lights blink out; the bullets stop and a sharp blast of blood stings my nostrils. I jerk my head in time to see Allen drop to one knee, gripping his arm.

"Ow…Damn," Blood spews form his arm as it reverts to its base form.

"Kid!" I cry, but my voice catches in my throat as the Akuma turns its ugly head towards me.

"Hello, little girl" he titters, "May I have my arm back?"

I barely have time to gasp before my arms are jerked violently upward, and I am hurled through the air. The ground rushes up to meet me, and I crash to the floor in the other side of the room.

My numb limbs ache with a dull fire as my whole body trembles from overexertion. I choke as the air is yanked from my lungs, and I can feel bruises clotting under my skin.

"Cas!" I hear Allen cry.

"Huh?" Dazed, I lift my head in time to see the Akuma turn back to Allen.

With a cackle, it lunges forward, arm outstretched. "I win!"

 _Clang!_

There is sound like metal scraping against metal. The Akuma freezes, eyes bulging in shock.

I scramble to my feet, gaping in spite of myself as I see Kanda had managed to get between Allen and the Akuma, blocking the latter's attack with his sword.

"You're alive?" the Akuma cries. Kanda grunts in response, gripping his abdomen as the scent of his strange, sweet-smelling blood mixes with Allen's.

"Kanda," Allen exclaims in surprise.

"Shut up, you wimp!" the other Exorcist snaps, "Are you going to quit now just because you're a little tired?" Kanda's whole form shakes as he struggles to hold the Akuma at bay, "If you give up so easily, you'll never be a true Exorcist. You said you wanted to protect them, right? _Right?_ " Kanda's voice cracks under the strain. "That's why I hate you, Short Stack; you're so damn lazy. Destroy this Akuma, and save these people. Or just hurry up and die!"

Allen gaps at Kanda in surprise, unsure as what to say.

Meanwhile, I try to sit up, but it makes the room spin, so I flop back down again.

Allen laughs quietly, "Okay, in that case, if you're going to hate me anyway, I never actually told you I would give up."

Kanda's whole body shakes violently, blood pooling at the base of his abdomen as he cries out between gritted teeth in a mixture of anger and pain.

Allen smiles up at him, "I just needed to catch my breath is all."

Kanda snarls, "Everything about you is annoying."

He jerks his arm upward and the sound of his blade echoes through the air. The Akuma cries out in shock as his mirror arm's hand falls to the ground with a dull thud.

Allen glances down at his own hand, "Please, give me one more chance. Innocence, activate!" His form is bathed in light as his arm reshapes into the gun.

"Underworld Creatures: First Illusion," Kanda slices his blade through the air, summoning the same bug-eyed creatures from before.

"Cas, hold him down!" Allen calls to me.

"Right." My Blood explodes out from my body, shredding my clothes and skin as the ropes of red ensnare the Akuma who screams in frustration and pain.

It scrambles blindly, clawing desperately in any direction as it tries to escape Kanda and Allen's attacks. The orange light of the bullets and the blue light of the Creatures merges together into one destructive force.

Allen and Kanda cry as one, "Be vanquished!"

The Akuma screams and dashes away, trying frantically to dodge the light. My whole body hitches as the weight crashes down on my arms. I jerk my body, my feet scrambling across the floor as I struggle to hold my ground.

The light of Kanda and Allen's attack crashes into the AKuma, blowing it clear off its feet and out through the wall. Everything in the combined light's path evaporates to dust. The Akuma is hurled out into the dawn as everything shatters around it.

I feel my Blood straps got taut, stretching as far as they'd go, and then a little further.

Rip...Tear... A shower of blood splatters across the floor as the Akuma melts into the void.

I feel the weight leave my left side as the limb is torn from my body at the elbow. Warning signs blare in my mind, and my dull senses barely register the loss of limb before everything goes red, and I collapse to the floor.

* * *

"Cas? Cas! Oh, dear God, please no. Cas! Come on," I feel Allen shaking me roughly, and it's like my muddled thoughts are rattling in my skull.  
I groan, cracking my eyelids open. "Cas! Oh, thank God," I open my eyes fully to see Allen kneeling beside me. His entire front is covered in blood, and I'm relieved it to see that it's mostly mine. His skin is ghostly pale in the sunlight, his lips white with fright.

"Hey, kid," I crack a smile, "What I miss?"

"Cas," Allen closes his eyes and shakes his head, "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" I ask, trying to sit up, "You didn't do anything."

Allen reopens his eyes and gives me a pained look. "Cas, your arm."

"What?" I glance down and then see the source of all the Blood. My left arm is completely gone below the elbow. A current of blood spills out from the hollow stump, sloshing around Allen and me in a pool of crimson. Veins and shattered bone poke weakly out from under the threads of torn flesh as still more blood gathers at the wound's gaping entrance.

"Oh," I say. "I see."

"Cas, I'm so sorry," I turn back to Allen to see tears brimming in his eyes, "I told you to hold it; I told you to hold the Akuma down. If I hadn't then maybe you," he stopped, choking on his tears.

"Shhh," I whisper, pressing a finger to his lips. Allen looks at me, his wide eye swimming with tears. "This…This can be fixed."

Allen swallows, "Cas-."

"Where's Kanda?" I ask.

"He's over there," Allen replies, gesturing vaguely behind him, "Toma's tending to him; he's unconscious, but he'll be alright."

"And the Innocence?"

Allen points a short distance away. The glass container that houses the glowing green shard is lying in a heap a few yards away.

"Allen, don't you think you should…," Our eyes meet, and I know I don't have to finish.

Allen nods, "One more time," he agrees, getting to his feet and staggering over to retrieve the Innocence, "One more time, Lala will sing."

I sit up as Allen walks over to the lifeless doll. I grip what remains of my left arm, applying pressure in the hopes of stopping the bleeding. Even though I know there is no chance of me bleeding to death, I'm still making a hell of a mess.

Allen crouches down in front of the figures of Guzol and Lala; his back is to me, so I can't see what he's doing, but when he steps back, the form of Lala stands up.

I gasp quietly when I see the empty look in her eyes, the awkward movement of her mechanical limbs, and I know, looking at her, that the girl that was Lala is gone, and only the Doll remains.

Guzol groans as the light of the now fully risen sun brushes against his face; a shadow passes over his form, and he lifts his head slightly.

"Do you want to hear a song…Mr. Human?" Lala whispers.

Guzol looks up into the glassy stare of the girl he loved. "Do you want to hear a song?" Lala slowly crawls over to him, pawing at his form, "Mr. Human, I am a doll; I will sing a song. Mr. Human?"

Tears brim in Guzol's eyes, "Lala...I love you," he whispers.

Lala's porcelain hand trembles as she places it on Guzol's back, "Are you going to sleep now? Then I will sing a peaceful lullaby for the nice human."

Lala then tilts her head up towards the heavens, and the flower of her voice blooms in the center of the room once more. The light of the sun stretched out to its beauty, grasped it, and ran away with it. Lala's song is everywhere: coming from the walls, the streets, the buildings of the city above us, and even the ground below us.

It is like the entire city of Mater is singing to this one human, who has cared for its most precious treasure all his life, to his final resting place.

Perhaps they never found paradise, but they will make sure he will.

Allen walks back over to me and gently helps me to my feet; I lean heavily against him, and we stand there watching the Doll called Lala sing, and the city sang with her.

* * *

Three days pass, and Lala continues to sing, the same haunted tune repeated over and over again, rising and falling in strength and sound like the waves on a beach, or the passage of time.

It rides the wind that snakes around the mountain at the center of the village, dancing through my hair and the shreds of my ripped clothes as I slowly descend the steps that lead to the temple at the top of the mountain.

Although Mater had been a pagan village that had worshiped the Roman gods long before Catholicism had every reached this region, I still found the temple a good place to pray. I knelt in the darkness of the ruins, whispering words that I seemed to be uttering without thought or pretense. I prayed for the people of Mater, who's bodies had long since turned to dust in the earth; I prayed for the soul that had powered that Akuma, which we'd finally destroyed. I prayed for all the Finders that had given their lives to protect the Ghost of Mater, and who Kanda and I had spent the last few days burying in the rocks outside the city walls.

Finally, I prayed for Allen and Kanda and Toma. And, as I sat there, whispering to myself, I could feel the shadows all around me, reaching out their tiny arms to grasp at my hair and my clothes. And for a moment, I thought I felt a flicker of Emma beside me, but it came as soon as it went, like a candle blowing in the wind.

And Emma was gone.

At the bottom of the temple steps, I find Allen sitting with his knees pulled into his chest, his head resting against his folded arms. For a moment, I think he's sleeping, but then I see his shoulders are trembling slightly, and I realize he's crying.

Silently, I drop down beside him and place a hand on his shoulder. At my touch, Allen slowly lifts his head to look at me with wide, teary eyes.

I smile, but I know it looks sad. Allen doesn't smile back as he slowly wipes his eyes.

Wordlessly, I pull my Bible out of my cloak, flip open to Revelations once more and begin to read:

"Then I heard a voice from heaven say, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them'. (Revelations 14:13)

I see Allen watching me out of the corner of my eye; he's stopped crying at the very least. "It's alright, kid," I whisper to him as I close the book and tuck it back into my cloak.

Allen doesn't respond, and I see he's looking at my arm once again, now heavily bandaged and brown with dried blood. I glance at it as well. "Kid, I told you it's alright. It can be fixed." I laugh in spite of myself when Allen doesn't look convinced, "I'm serious. I have a healing factor, remember? It'll grow back in a few days; I'm like a lizard."

Allen blinks in surprise, "You can restore limbs?"

"Yep, pretty much anything that's lost; I can bring back, to both myself and others. It's quite handy; especially when you fall off a bridge in the middle of the winter, and have to have your leg amputated, only to wake up three days letter with it all grown back as good as new."

Allen doesn't react to my offhanded tone; he's still staring at my arm. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really."

"Did it ever hurt?" I blink in surprise as Allen redirects his gaze to me, "You didn't scream; you got your arm ripped off, Cas, and you didn't scream. And then earlier, when the Akuma plunged his hand into your chest, you barely even flinched."

"What can I say? I have a high pain tolerance," I reply with a shrug.

"Cas, don't insult my intelligence," Allen snaps, "This is not like scraping a knee."

I sigh, "Fine. You're right; it never really hurt, nothing ever really does."

"What do you mean?"

I don't respond right away; I reach into my pocket and pull out the box of matches. Allen watches me in bewilderment as I strike a match and hold the flame up between us. "Observe," I say before I yank up my pant leg and jam the flame firmly against the skin on my knee.

Allen jerks back in horror. "Cas!"

"It's alright," I insist, removing the now doused match. The circular burn ripples across my flesh before it slowly sinks back into my alabaster skin, drowning in my Blood.

Allen looks back up at me, "Cas, can you not feel pain?"

"And there it is," I exclaim with a grim smile, "And in answer to your question: no, I can't. At least not really. I have inhibited pain receptors, sure some things kinda tickle and I will say 'ow' as a reflex, but that's about it. I've never been able to feel much of anything, mostly due to an impaired sympathetic nervous system." I place my hand over my chest, "Something that is vital to the center of physiological emotional responses is something I don't have."

Allen watches me intently, "So all those emotions that you feel…"

"They're not my own," I reply simply, "They're the emotions of others that I feel through my empathic link. I haven't shed tears of my own since I was fourteen. The first and the last time I ever cried."

"Three years ago," Allen muses thoughtfully, "You keep mentioning that something happened three years ago. What happened?"

I tense. _Damn, kid's more perceptive than I'd like_. I don't answer right away as I pull out another match and light my pipe. I look out over the city and the steadily sinking sun being swallowed up by the dunes on the horizon, puffing a long drag before speaking again. "Three years ago, on October 31st, the night of my fourteenth birthday, was the night Emma Greenwood died."

"Greenwood?" Allen arches a brow. "The Millennium Earl mentioned that name when we met him in the cemetery."

I nod, "The Greenwood's were a family that lived next door to me for as long as I can remember. They had two daughters: the younger was Lucy, and the older was Emma."

"Was Emma your friend?" Allen asks.

I smile grimly, "Best friend…and later girlfriend."

Allen's eyes widen, "You had a girlfriend?"

"Yep," I take out my pipe from my teeth and turn to look at Allen fully, "She was the only person in my life that accepted me for who I am; she had been with me for as long as I can remember. Always there, like a part of my own soul. But then, a year after we started dating, her little sister Lucy got very sick and died quite suddenly. Emma was absolutely heartbroken." I pause, gritting my teeth. "I tried to warn her, constantly reminding her of the Earl and his temptations, but she didn't listen to me. The night he appeared to her, he promised he could bring Lucy back and well, you know what happened next."

Allen nods solemnly, "She was turned into an Akuma along with her sister."

I nod, "Three years ago was the last time I cried, and the first time I used my Anti-Akuma Weapon." The hand holding my pipe curls around the object into a tight fist, I can feel the heat of the fire against my palm, but, as usual, it doesn't hurt.

"My Innocence protected me, just as it always has, and killed Emma on the spot, without a second thought. Even though….Even though I begged it not to." I let the now unlit pipe fall from my hand and clatter onto the step below us. I gaze down at the thin wisps of smoking curling up from it. "My Innocence protects me by inhibiting my emotions. I'm not sure why; perhaps, the powers that be dictated that a lack of emotion would be a strength on the battlefield. If I can't feel pain, then I can't stop fighting. It's a good point but…" my voice trails off. "Well, anyway, you get the gist."

Allen stares at me, not saying a word as he slowly reaches out and places his left hand on top of my right, I feel the pulse of his Innocence against my palm. "I'm so sorry, Cas," he whispers. "You loved her so much, and you lost her. I'm so sorry."

I smile through my clenched teeth, "Thanks, kid," I whisper.

"Hold on a minute," Kanda suddenly calls from the bottom of the steps.

Allen and I jump. _Shit, he's quiet; has he been listening the entire time?_

Kanda is standing below us, his sword at his hip, my top hat in his hand. "You know, it's rude to eavesdrop, Eye Candy," I snap at him.

Kanda snorts, "Whatever, but if you like girls, then why are you always hitting on me?"

"Kanda!" Allen cries.

I smirk, "I thought you were paying attention," I say as I get to my feet, "I said I like girls; I never said I didn't like guys. " I wink at him as I take my hat from him and place it on my head, "Thanks for finding this."

Kanda growls at me, his eyes fuming, but doesn't say anything more to me.  
"You better be keeping a close eye on that Doll," he calls to Allen.

"Yeah," Allen replies. "Are you okay?" he adds.

"I heal a lot quicker than most people," Kanda replies simply.

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? It looked pretty bad."

"Shut up," Kanda snaps as he sits down on the steps beside Allen. "I was able to make contact with the order a little while ago, and Komui has given us instructions. I'm heading straight to the next assignment from here. It's you two's job to bring the Innocence back to the order."

"I've got it," Allen replies.

Kanda glances at him, noting his relatively crestfallen expression, "If it's too hard, just go stop her."

I start. I had forgotten that Lala was still singing; it was like she had sung for so long that her song had become a part of the very air itself, a very part of my being.

"I can't do that," Allen replies, "Guzol has to be the one that finally stops her song."

"You're too soft, you know that?" Kanda grumbles, "An Exorcist is simply a destroyer; we'll never be anyone's savior."

Allen looks at him and the corners of his mouth almost perk up into a smile, "I don't think I agree. We can be both."

I stare at Allen in surprise. _Both? A savior and a destroyer?_ I look down at my hand, the hand that belonged to the body that had slaughtered the woman I loved. My hand closes into a fist.

A wind tumbles up the mountainside, ruffling through our hair and clothes, and with it, comes silence.

Allen and I look up in shock.

Lala has stopped singing.

* * *

On the third night, after Guzol died, Lala stopped.

Allen and I walk into the ampitheater to find Lala kneeling in the center of the room; her empty eyes are turned towards the sky, her mouth still parted as though at any moment that haunting tune will spring from her lips once more. Guzol lies on his back with his head resting on her lap; his hands are clasped across his chest: the picturesque vision of a peaceful death.

Slowly, Allen walks into the room, while I hang back with Kanda and Toma in the doorway.

I bless myself as I whisper a line from Philippians: "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen."

As I speak, Allen kneels down beside the lifeless doll, preparing to remove Guzol's body, so we can bury it with the Finders.

"Thank you," Allen jerks his head up in shock. I gape as I hear Lala's voice whispering in the darkness. She turns her head to look at Allen, and there is life in her eyes; the life I thought had been lost when the Akuma had ripped out her heart. "Thank you, for letting me sing until I broke down," she continues, "You let me keep my prom…" her voice fades into mechanical obscurity as she collapses into Allen's arms, now truly a lifeless doll.

Allen gazes down at her, his shoulders start to shake as tears spill from his eyes. I walk over to him and crouch down beside him, placing my hand on his arm. The boy cries harder as he buries his face in the crock of my neck. I trail my fingers through his messy white hair as I gaze down at Lala's empty face and Guzol's peaceful expression.

I feel the emotions that Lala had given me slowly drain from my being, leaving the emptiness behind. Allen's pain courses through me as he continues to cry.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Kanda snaps from the doorway.

"Kanda," Allen chokes as he slowly lifts his head, "We're not just destroyers; at the same time, we can be saviors."

A light flickers in the corner of my vision. I glance up in time to see two stars streak across the heavens and vanish into the night.

 _A Destroyer who Saves..._

* * *

A/N: Don't worry, Cas will have her arm back by the next chapter which is the Rewinding Town Arc! I'm so excited for this part!  
Also, I'm not sure exactly _what_ sexuality Cas is (I don't think even she knows), but she's at the very least bisexual as she's attracted to at least two genders, so, yeah, and now you know more about this Emma Greenwood that kept getting mentioned in previous chapters. Cas's backstory will continue to be revealed as time goes on. I hope you enjoyed.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Late against this week…damn it. Also, slight homoerotic moment in this chapter; you have been warned…

* * *

Chapter 8: The Black Order Annihilation Incident

* * *

I sprint down the hall at a break-neck pace, one arm balancing a huge stack of cloth and fabrics that sways precariously with each step I take. My newly regrown left arm dangles uselessly at my side. I grit my teeth, annoyed at the fact that I can't use it for a few days even though it's fully healed, not to mention my abilities are severely weakened as well. All the same, I don't want to push my luck.

My Blood pumps with agitation in my ears as I swiftly round the corner and pick up speed when suddenly…

 _CRASH!_

"Ah!" I hear a cry as I fall backward and land on my ass in the middle of the hallway, the piles of fabric falling around me like huge, multi-colored snowflakes. I groan, rubbing my sore tailbone.

"What the hell?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Cas!" I glance up to see Allen jump to his feet and begin frantically gathering up the piles of fabric scattered all around us.

I laugh in spite of myself. "Don't be so apologetic, kid. It's my fault; I wasn't looking where I was going," I say as I stand up and quickly begin gathering up the remaining yards of fabric, hurriedly glancing around all the while.

 _Good. No one's seen me._

"Cas, are you alright?" I jump at the sound of Allen's voice, "You look nervous."

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," I quickly reply, trying to stuff the rest of the fabric into my arms but a few slip from my grasp and tumble back to the floor.

"Here. Where are you going? I'll help you carry this," Allen offers, folding the pieces he had gathered up in his arms.

"Ah, thanks , you're sweet, kid," I exclaim with a grin, readjusting my own pile.

Allen's face scrunches up in annoyance, "It's not 'kid'; it's Allen!"

I just laugh again as I lead him down the hall towards my room. "Come on," I say as I open the door and step inside, "Sorry about the mess, I'm doing a little redecorating."

Allen pauses in the doorway; mouth slightly ajar as he gazes around my room. "Whoa," he breathes.

I smirk, "Do you like it?"

I had taken the liberty to redesign my curtains so that a red swirl pattern swept upwards from the seam, dozens upon dozens of paper flowers dipped in all colors of the rainbow are fastened along the rim of the walls, the windowsill, wrapped around the bedposts, and tumbling off the top of the wardrobe. Half empty bottles of ink and nail polish of dozens of colors and shades are scattered across my desk beside a leather-bound notebook full of sketches and drawings of various outfit ideas. A delicate eagle-feather quill blooms out of a black ink bottle after I'd spent the night scratching lines of poems onto the wall. Above my bed, which I had fitted with a deep red bedspread, is an elaborate mural I had painted across the wall: it depicts a display of a sweeping forest with dozens of fairies hiding in the branches; a deep blue river is carved through the center with mermaids leaping through the water. Flowers sweep through a silent wind, their petals curling up to the still plain white sky.

"It's not finished yet," I remark to Allen when I see him looking at the mural as I knock some papers aside and set the cloth down on the bed.

"It's amazing," he whispers, still looking at the painting as he slowly walks over to me.

"Yeah, I still gotta do the sky," I explain, "I'm thinking of putting some angels in the clouds. Ya know? With huge ass wings," I open my arms for emphasis.

Allen chuckles, "And all I've got in my room is a plain white wall," he says as he hands his half of the fabric to me.

"Really? Well, if you want, I could paint something for you," I offer.

"No, it's fine. I don't want to trouble you," Allen insists, holding his hands up.

"It's no trouble," I reply, setting the fabric down on the bed with the rest, "Really, it isn't."

"Well, what's all this fabric for anyways?" Allen asks, gesturing to the stack that had grown on top of my bed.

"It's the supplies I need for a new wardrobe," I explain, "I make my own clothes, you see, and I had to sell all of my old outfits in order to get traveling money. The last ensemble I had was the suit I was wearing when we were in Mater, and, well, that got torn to shreds. What I'm wearing now isn't even mine; I borrowed it from the Order," I gesture down to my clothes which consist of dark grey pants and a black, long-sleeved turtleneck. It was the least amount of clothes I'd worn in a long time.

"I see. So, you're a seamstress," Allen muses.

"I guess," I reply, "but I've only ever made things for myself. Regardless, I'm not going to be able to start until Johnny can get his hands on a sewing machine. It's not that I can't sew by hand, it's just a pain in the neck," I grimace at the thought, remembering my grandmother continuously forcing me to labor over the tedious process of a simple needle and thread.

 _If you don't learn how to work really hard to earn something, you're never going to fully appreciate it._

I sigh; _I suppose she had a point somewhere._

"Who's Johnny?" Allen asks.

"Huh? Oh, he's a member of the Science Division, really geeky guy with curly hair and glasses. His family owns a fashion business so he knows a lot about the production process. He even makes all the Exorcist clothes."

Allen's eyes widen, "He _made_ those coats?"

I nod, "I know; I was surprised to."

 _BANG!_

Allen and I both jump as the sudden noise echoes throughout the building.  
"Whoa, what the hell was that?" I cry as we both dash out of my room and into the hall.

The corridors are deserted and no further sounds can be heard.  
"Where do you suppose that came from?" Allen inquires, peering over the banister.

I shrug, glancing around nervously. "Cas, are you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You're acting really jittery."

"What? No! I'm fine, really."

The sound of footsteps behind me makes me stiffen. I whirl around only to see Kanda approaching us, and I dare to breathe a sigh of relief.

He scowls at the sight of us, seeming to be in his usual cheerful mood.

"Kanda, what was the noise just now?" Allen inquires of him.

"I don't know," Kanda snaps, "Wait, why am I even taking to you? Get lost!"

I roll my eyes, "Not much of a 'morning glory' are you, Boy Toy?"

Kanda snarls at us through gritted teeth before stalking off down the hall.

"I bet his assignment didn't go as planned, and that's why Kanda's so grumpy," the familiar voice of Lenalee appearing behind me makes my Blood run cold. I flinch and turn around, about to sprint back into my room.

"Oh, Cas, there you are. I've been looking for you all morning. You do know that you have a meeting scheduled with my brother today, right?"

My shoulders slump, "Actually, I was hoping he'd forgotten."

"Is that why you've been so anxious, Cas?" Allen asks.

"What's the big deal? Komui just wants to talk to you," Lenalee asks.

I sigh _. I suppose neither of them could truly understand how difficult it is for me to talk about my past, revealing as much as I did to Allen and Kanda after the Mater incident had been hard enough._

"Lenalee, did you happen to hear that loud crash just now?" Allen then inquires of the young girl.

"It was most likely the Science Division working on an experiment," Lenalee replies with a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry about my brother and his team; they can be noisy sometimes. But they do create a lot of good things for us Exorcists," she adds brightly.

Allen gapes at her, "You're an Excorcist too?" he asks.

"Yep, Equip-type," Lenalee replies, clicking her heels together, "These here boot pack quite a punch. And you really should get going, Cas." Lenalee adds, catching sight of me attempting to slowly creep back into my room.

I scowl, "I don't want to."

"I'm not giving you a choice," Lenalee replies, snatching one of the mugs full of coffee off the tray she's carrying and holding it threateningly above her head, "Now, get moving."

I cringe, shying away from the raised cup of hot coffee. "Okay, okay, I'm going," I snap as I hurriedly make my way down the hall and out of Lenalee's line of fire.

When I enter the Science Division main study area, I find it's the same cluttered mess of book, papers, and over tired workers as the last time I was there.

Many of the scientists are slumped over the long tables, half-buried under piles upon piles of books and paperwork.

"Section Chief Reever, why do I get the feeling this project will never be completed in our life time?" one of the scientists, who I recognize to be Johnny by his thick glasses and curly hair, groans to Reever who's dozing in the chair nearest to me.

"Don't worry about it, Johnny; it'll all end soon," Reever replies sleepily, "That reminds me, we need to get to a good stopping point by the end of the day."

From behind him, Jake Russell pipes up, "Don't forget, we're throwing Cas and Allen a-"

"Shhhh!" Johnny frantically cries, spotting me lingering in the doorway.

"Throwing me and Allen a what now?" I ask as I saunter into the room.

Jake's cheeks redden slightly, "Nothing," he replies, lowering his eyes as Reever glares at him over his shoulder.

"Good to see you again, Cas," the Section Chief adds to me, "And what brings you to our humble abode?"

My shoulders sag in spite of myself, "Komui said he wanted to meet with me after I got back from my mission. He postponed it because he wanted to wait for my arm to grow back, and…uh, it's back." I half-heartedly wave my new hand.

Johnny gapes at me, "Oh my gosh, it's really back!"

"Good as new," Reever agrees.

"Aw man, you have no idea how much money I'd pay to have a skill like that," a fat black scientist, who I recall is named Tap, calls from the corner were he's sorting files with the mint-green ghost thing known as Number 65.

"Anyways, I think Komui's busy at the moment," Reever adds to me, "It would probably be best not to disturb him."

 _Thank God!_ I try not to look relieved, "Oh, alright then. I guess I'll come back…" _Never._

At that moment a muffled crashing sound is heard coming from Komui's office.

All around me, the scientists groan in apparent unison.

"What's the Chief doing in there?" Johnny moans, "Doesn't he know how much work we have? The least he can do is come give us a hand."

"Take it easy, Johnny," Reever asserts, "Who knows? He might be inventing something brilliant."

"Or experimenting with dynamite," I add as another tremor reverberates around the room, rattling the tables and knocking over the numerous stacks of books and papers.

A few of them slide from their shelves and crash to floor around Johnny and Reever.

"Oh, come on!" Johnny exclaims.

At that moment, the door opens, and Komui pokes his head around the corner. "Hey, everyone!" he calls, his glasses gleaming as he grins from ear to ear, "How would you all like to meet the savior of the Science Division?"

Every one blinks in confusion, "Huh?"

"I think he's gone mad," Reever whispers to me.

I don't answer as I attempt to subtly crouch down behind the disturbed books, hoping to get out of Komui's sight.

BOOM!

A thunderous sound shakes through the whole foundation of the building as the wall surrounding the main entrance to the office explodes out around Komui in a shower of grey smoke.

Everyone cries out in alarm; I scream, covering my head as I duck under the table, under the impression that we're being bombed.

However, the cries of surprise soon turn to murmurs of confusion as the smoke disperses around us. Cautiously, I peer over the rim of the table I am cowering behind in time to see the cause of the explosion stalk through the doorway. It's a gigantic crab-like creature made entirely of a sleek, shiny medal, four gigantic clawed arms sprout out from its square body with a bulbous pill-shaped head balancing on a thin stalk of neck, a pair of glassy, blue eyes coldly scan the room, gleaming with a similar shine as Komui's glasses; finally, perched on its head, is a floppy white beret with a purple X on the top.

"What the fuck?" I ask, getting to my feet.

"That was my next question," Reever agrees as Komui laughs almost manically at all of our growing confusion, "Komui, what is the point of that ridiculously large robot?" Reever demands of him.

"Wait, is that thing wearing a hat?" Johnny adds.

Komui claps his hands together, his grin widening, "Allow me to introduce to you the state of the art, advanced productivity robot! And the best part, we won't have to work as much from now on!" he exclaims, waving his arms around excitedly.

Johnny adjusts his glasses, looking unconvinced, "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am," Komui cries, jumping up and down, "As long as this robot's around, our work load will be decreased by fifty percent!"

All of the scientists gasp in astonishment.

"Fantastic!" Johnny cries.

"Maybe now we can get some sleep," Jake adds.

"Wow, you called it, sir," Johnny continues to Reever, "Chief Komui really was inventing something brilliant. How did you know?"

"I..." Reever stammers, glancing at me. I shrug.

"We're so lucky to have you, sir," Tap gushes at Komui, who is basking in the glow of his magnificent creation, as all of the other scientists gather around for a closer look.

"Yes, yes, I'm a master of science," Komui declares, "Now, why don't you all shower me with groveling praise."

 _I suppose now's as good a time as any to leave_. I slowly begin to inch my way towards the large hole in the wall the robot had left in its wake, keeping sure to move as slowly and inconspicuously as possible. I'd barely gone two steps when the robot suddenly turns its beady eyes on me, a flash of light flickering in its jeweled gaze.

I freeze on the spot. _Creepy!_

No one else seems the least bit perturbed by the robot's freaky expression.

"Three cheers for Chief Komui!" Johnny cries, pumping his fist.

Everyone else follows suit, "Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!" They cheer as Reever grabs me around the waist and spins me around.

"As the night exists to await the dawn, golden rays of hope are shining down upon us with dreams of relaxation!" he exclaims as he whirls me around the room.

"Ah! Let go of me. You're _all_ crazy!" I cry, stumbling as I try to break free of Reever's grip.

"It's about time we got some well-earned vacation," Jake adds, looking about ready to go throw on his swimming trunks that very minute, "I'll finally be able to go visit my son!"

At last, Reever releases me, and I stagger into the table as he rushes up to Komui. "Chief, we should boot it up right now and see how it works."

"We'll do that as soon as we come up for a name for it," Komui replies, holding a hand up to stop him.

I blink in confusion, "You want to name it?"

"Let's see, what would be a good one?" Komui taps his chin thoughtfully, "If anyone has any ideas, then speak up."

"I don't know; how about Mr. Beep Boop Beep Boop?" Tap offers.

Komui grimaces, "Uh, no."

"Devil Slayer Z!" Johnny cries.

"Ew, no!" Komui exclaims.

"Eyes That Stare Into Your Soul," I offer, glancing warily up at the robot.

"That's not funny, Cas" Komui whines.

"Why don't you go ahead and pick the name, Chief?" Reever offers.

Komui's face brightens, "Okay! How about Sir Komlin II?!"

There is a pause. "Huh?" I ask.

"I guess that works," Reever muses, running his fingers through his spikey blonde hair, "But why is it 'the II'?"

Komui wilts, "Well, because the first one lived a very short life; it met its end when Kanda decided to slice it into pieces. He claimed it ate his soba noodles or something."

"Ha!" I bark a laugh. _That sounds like something Kanda would do._

"Or maybe he pitied the robot and put it out of its misery," Tap whispers not too quietly to Johnny, who snickers in response.

Komui clenches his fists, obviously hearing them.

"Wait, Chief, we think Sir Komlin II is a fantastic name!" Reever interjects before Komui decides to start swinging, "Right?" he adds, shooting Tap and Johnny a venomous glare.

"Sure do!" the two quickly reply.

"Great!" Komui's face lights up once more, "Then it's decided. Sir Komlin II, I'm counting on you, son!" he chortles as he leaps about the room, giggling all the time like an energetic school girl.

I roll my eyes. _Can I leave now?_

The newly christened Sir Komlin II whirls its metal gears and turns its head down towards me, its steely gaze honing right on me.

I yelp and take a step back.

"Komui, time for a break!" Lenalee calls in a singsong voice, apparently oblivious to the large hole in the wall or the robot filling the space as she saunters into the room with her tray of warm drinks.

I see Allen walk in behind her with another tray, looking thoroughly confused.

"Oh, Lenalee, hello," Komui exclaims at the sight of his sister.

She grins, "Who wants some coffee?"

Reever gives her a tired smile, "I'd love some."

"I could use some too," I grumble, not taking my eyes off the robot.

"Why are you here?" Johnny adds to Allen.

"Oh, I," Allen begins, but Lenalee answers for him.

"I asked him to help me carry the coffee."

 _Whirl,_ Sir Komlin's gears churn as he extends his neck forward, peering down at Lenalee and her tray brimming with full coffee mugs. Its blue eye beeps and chirps, analyzing the display before him.

"Uh, Lenalee," I start, but the other girl ignores me.

"Well, dig in every one," she urges, holding out her tray.

Suddenly, a hatch opens in the middle of Sir Komlin II's square body and a long, snaky arm extends out of the machine. The fat white hand on the end snatches Komui's coffee mug off the tray, which is pretty easy to distinguish with its blue color covered in pink bunnies design against the other standard white mugs, before any one has time to react.

"Wow, I had no idea robots could drink coffee," Allen muses as Sir Komlin II raises Komui's mug to its face.

Komui laughs, "How funny! You still have a lot to learn, Allen. He may be my alter-ego, but he's still only a robot. Everyone knows robots are incapable of drinking fluids."

"That doesn't seem to be stopping him," I remark, pointing to the creature just as it finishes slurping up every last drop of the coffee from the mug through what I had assumed was second blue-jewel eye, but I guess is really a mouth. Sir Komlin II belches loudly as Komui's face falls.

"Oh no, he drank it."

"That can't be good," Allen whispers.

Sir Komlin II's eye suddenly flashes bright red before dulling back to blue and then an explosion of sparks leap up from the groves in its head. A loud explosion goes off somewhere within the robots depths as it begins shaking and twitching violently, more white static pouring out from its body.

Everyone screams and begins panicking wildly as the creature's deep, echoing voices suddenly booms throughout the room. "I AM SIR KOMLIN II; IT IS MY DUTY TO AID IN STRENGTHENING EXORCISTS!"

"Ah Komui, I think your destructive coffee addiction may have totaled your robot," I call to him.

"T-That's it, boy," Komui nervously calls up to his creation, ignoring my quips, "You're doing really well. Keep it up!"

"Chief," Reever cries, grabbing Komui's shoulders, "Does your robot have an off switch because I think something's wrong with it!"

"What was your first clue?" I snap as Sir Komlin II continues to tremble and writhe. A serious of hiccups burst out from its body along with still more showers of static and sparks.

"What the hell are you doing talking like that in front of him?" Komui cries, waving his finger accusingly in Reever's face, "You're going to give him a complex; he's just a baby. A perfect, innocent baby!"

"Take it easy, brother," Lenalee exclaims in exasperation at her brother's outburst. Meanwhile, Sir Komlin II has refocused its attention on her; its eye gleams menacingly as its voice blasts through the chaos throughout the room.

"I MUST OPERATE ON THIS WOMAN TO MAKE HER MORE MANLY!"

Everyone except me screams again. "Why would anyone want to make Lenalee manlier?" Komui wails, "No, Sir Komlin II, you can't do it. You can't!" he exclaims, dancing around on the spot.

"BUT SHE NEEDS STRENGTHENING," Sir Komlin II asserts, slowly stalking closer to Lenalee, "AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS IS TO BUILD HER UP." His claw-like limbs reach for the Exorcist girl, who shrinks back in terror, "SHE WANTS IT; SHE NEEDS IT."

"No! Lenalee, run!" Komui sobs. "Get out of here!"

"SHE MUST NOT ESCAPE BEFORE THE OPERATION," Sir Komlin II commands, twitching madly before its arm shoots out like a striking snake and snatches Lenalee as she turns to try and run.

The girl screams and flails about as she's hoisted into the air, clamped firmly in one of Sir Komlin II's giant claws.

"Lenalee!" Allen cries as her tray of coffee mugs crashes to the floor, and she continues to scream.

"Oh no, what do we do!" Johnny wails.

"I'm getting excited, and I don't know why," Tap gushes, drinking in the sight of Lenalee trapped and powerless in Sir Komlin II's grip.

"Why would you even say something like that?!" Reever thunders.

"Quick! Someone stop him; I think he's going to eat my sister!" Komui wails.

 _This is unbelievable!_ "Hey!" I call to the robot, snatching a paperweight shaped like a rubber ducky off the table behind me and hurling it at Sir Komlin II. It clinks uselessly against the side of its head, but it does succeed in redirecting the machine's attention over to me. "You want a manly girl?" I holler, thumping my fist against my chest, "Try me on for size!"

Sir Komlin II pauses to stare at me before another of its giant spiked limbs comes crashing down towards me. I leap backward just as it punctures the floor on the spot I was standing. Blood rips through the sleeves of my shirt, and I quickly wrap them around the leg, coiling layer after layer until it's completely immobile.

"Ha! Got you now!" I declare. Sir Komlin glances down, regarding its entrapped limb with a look of curiosity, before it suddenly lightly flicks the leg to the side as though its swatting a bug, and I'm suddenly flown of my feet.

"Cas!" I hear Allen cry as I sail over the scientists' heads and crash into a bookshelf across the room. The blunt noise of impact reverberates throughout my body as I hit the floor in a pile of books that feel more like lumps of cement. "Cas!" Allen calls again, rushing over to kneel down beside me, "Are you okay?"

I sit up, my brain feeling like soup in my skull. Dizzy, I message my head, groaning heavily. "Oh…Why did it have to be the Encyclopedia shelf?"

"Reever, do something!" Komui cries as Lenalee continues to struggle.

"Geez, why don't you panic already. Now, where did I put that thing?" Reever exclaims with a groan before rifling through a cluttered pile of random objects lying scattered on the floor. "Chief, you're going to have to show me where that main circuit is!" he declares as he pulls out what looks like a Ghostbusters backpack. Yellow light pours out of the gun barrel as he revs up the weapon.

"Huh?" Komui whirls around to see Reever aiming the weapon at Sir Komlin II. He screams. "NO! You can't destroy my baby; not after the hours and hours of blood, sweat, and tears I put into making him. So, put down that gun, you murder!"

Reever looks miffed. "Oh, so you don't care about Lenalee?" he asks, lowering the gun.

Komui shrieks, "No! I don't know what to do!"

"Just make up your mind," I growl through gritted teeth as Allen helps me to my feet, I grip my head and seethe. _I am this close to shoving that abomination through a garbage compacter._

"Cas, take it easy," Allen urges as another wave of dizziness washes over me.

I groan to myself, "God, I hope I don't have a concussion."

"Brother, get me down from here!" Lenalee calls from the clutches of Sir Komlin II.

Komui reaches desperately up towards his sister. "Oh, I'm trying my best, my sweet sister!" he wails, clasping his hands tragically. "I love my sister, but I also love Sir Komlin II. Oh, what am I to do?" he sobs as Allen and I look on. Komui's expression suddenly changes when he catches a glimpse of us. "Wait, I have an idea."

The look in his eyes makes my Blood run cold in my veins, and I quickly stagger away from Allen as Komui turns back to his rampaging creation. "Sir Komlin II, I have great news! It turns out one of our newest Exorcists, Allen Walker, is having trouble with his Anti-Akuma Weapon."

 _Crash!_ Allen drops his tray. "What?"

"Do you think you could fix it for him?" Komui asks.

"You psychotic bastard, are you serious?" I cry, rushing forward and knocking Komui hard in the back of the head. But it was too late as Sir Komlin II zeroes in on Allen.

"AN INJURY?" he bleeps.

"Looks like the Chief's throwing Allen to the wolves," Jake whispers from his hiding place behind a table.

"He's evil," Tap replies, peering out from behind the standing globe in the corner.

"PRIORITY HAS CHANGED. PRIORITY HAS CHANGED!" Sir Komlin II announces, "TREATMENT OF ALLEN WALKER'S INJURIES TAKES PRECEDENT OVER MANLINESS OPERATION." Another of its weird octopus-like arms slinks out of its body, holding a container of anesthesia. Lenalee barely has time to gasp before she gets a whole blast of it to the face, and goes limp in Sir Komlin II's claws.

"How dare you?!" Komui thunders as I rush over to Lenalee after the robot lays her down on the floor.

"Hey, Legs? Legs! Can you hear me?" _Oh, her skirt rolled up. Nice…Focus, Cas!_ I quickly gather Lenalee up in my arms and duck out of the way as Sir Komlin II stalks over to Allen.

"I NOW MUST CAPTURE ALLEN WALKER, EXPECTING RESISTANCE!" Allen slowly backs up as the robot looms over him.

"Allen, run!" I cry as I lay Lenalee on the table in the corner and turn back to the robot.

"But where should I run?" Allen cries.

"It doesn't matter. Get out of the way, kid!"

"Uh, right," Allen doesn't have to be told twice as he quickly dives between Sir Komlin II's legs and rushes out into the hall.

"PURSUE THE TARGET AT ALL COSTS," the robot announces as he spins his body around with a lot more accuracy than I thought was possible, "HE MUST BE CAUGHT; IT IS FOR HIS OWN GOOD."

"Reever, don't just stand there," I call to the Section Chief, "Fire your gun thingy!"

"Huh? Oh right," Reever revs up his gun again, but Komui suddenly snatches it out of his grasp and brakes it over his knee as easy as snapping a twig, "You will not hurt my baby!" he snarls, a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Hey, asshole," I call to him, "Maybe you should worry less about your soulless machine and more about your flesh and blood sister lying passed out on the table.

Komui's eyes widen as he rushes over to where I'd sprawled Lenalee across one of the cluttered tables. "Lenalee? Lenalee! Why won't she answer me?"

"That robot of yours gave her a pretty hefty dose of anesthesia, you know," I snap with a huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

A series of thunderous crashes and familiar screams reach my ears, and I turn back to the hole that leads to the hall just in time to see Allen scramble past, Sir Komlin II close behind him.

"Damn it," I hiss before sprinting out into the hall. I glance to the left just as Sir Komlin is about to round the corner after Allen. I dig my heels into the ground and send out a series of Blood ties straight towards the machine. They latch around its legs with the intent of tripping him up, but Sir Komlin II doesn't even flinch and soon my legs give out under me, and I'm dragged down the hall, kicking, flailing, and shouting obscenities.

"Shit! Shit! Fuck! Somebody stop this fucking thing!" I cry as I'm dragged along the rough ground, trying desperately to twist free. _Why am I repeatedly getting my ass kicked by a hunk of metal? I'm having an off day._

I finally manage to grab hold of one of the railing support beams and only manage to slow my descent somewhat before my Blood snaps under the pressure, and I'm sent flying backward.

I flip over the bannister before I even have a chance to realize what's happening, and the next thing I know, I'm dangling hazardously over the rim of the railing on the floor below us.

The hand that had caught me scrambles desperately to hold firm, slowly growing slick with sweat, while my other hand saps thick amounts of blood. _Damn, it's my left arm; the one I only just got back._ My grip slackens. There's no way I'll be able to hold myself up on my own. I try to curl up Blood from under the fingernails of my right arm, but it's too wet with sweat, and it all dissipates.

I steal a glance over my shoulder at the seeming miles upon miles of floors stretching down into the dark abyss below me, and then I start to panic.

"Allen!" I scream, jerking my head upward to see Allen still be chased in circles around the hallway by Sir Komlin II not unlike the monkey chasing the weasel. "I know you're a little busy, but I wouldn't mind a hand."

Allen glances over upon hearing my voice. His eyes widen, and he quickly ducks out of the robot's path. "Cas!" he cries, leaning over the bannister. "How did you get there?"

"Don't ask, just give me a hand," I growl back, feeling my face flush more than usual with embarrassment.

"Hang on!" Allen replies as his left arm is consumed in the light of his Innocence. The fully grown armored Weapon paws downward in an attempt to reach me. "Almost," Allen hisses through clenched teeth.

"Got 'cha!" I call, snatching the tip of his clawed fingers, and the boy quickly yanks me to safety. I scramble over the railing and collapse on the floor with a gasp of relief.

"Are you okay?" Allen asks as I slump to the floor.

"Give me a minute," I reply, still slightly winded.

"Uh, we don't have a minute," Allen suddenly cries.

"Huh?" I glance up in time to see Sir Komlin II thundering towards us. "Shit."

"Run!" Allen snatches my hand, and we bot take off down the hallway, sprinting as fast as we can, but never gaining any advantage against the robot, who always remained right on our heels.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Allen and I both scream as we frantically scramble laps around the hallway with the robot relentlessly pursuing us.

Suddenly, a small creature waddles its way out from one of the side doors. It looks almost identical to Sir Komlin II except its significantly smaller, no larger than a St. Bernard.

"No, you've got to be kidding me, not another robot!" I wail as Allen and I draw up short in front of the creature.

"Wait a minute, is that a vacuum cleaner?" Allen asks.

His observation is indeed correct; the much smaller version of Sir Komlin II had a vacuum cleaner for an arm as well as many other forms of cleaning supplies as its various appendages.

"Allen, Cas, get to the storage room!" We hear Johnny's voice from within the robot's transmission circuits.

"Where's that?" Allen asks.

"Kid, it's right behind us!" I cry as I see the robot lumbering towards us.

"This way!" Number 65 peeks his head around the corner.

"Hurry!" Johnny's voice adds.

"Okay," Allen and I don't need to be told twice as we both dash around the corner and out of Sir Komlin II's path.

We hurry down a hallway and through a set of oak double doors. Allen and I stumble over the threshold and into a huge, high-ceilinged stone space with several boxes of various supplies stacked up against the walls.

"Okay," Allen gasps, bending over to catch his breath, "We made it to the storage room."

"Good jobs, you two," We hear Johnny's voice from within the cleaning robot as it clicks its way into the room behind us, "Now just leave the rest to me."

"Thank God," I sink to the floor, thoroughly out of breath.

I jerk my head up when the sound of a vacuum cleaner revving up reaches my ears. Allen and I both glance over to the cleaning robot to see it sweeping at a small pile of dust in the corner.

"Oh great, it's cleaning the floor now!" Allen cries.

"You're kidding me," Johnny exclaims, "It's programmed so well that it can't even ignore the slightest bit of dirt even in times of crisis? Oh, my plan failed." We hear him wail followed by the muffled sounds of the communicator being taken from him.

"Allen, Cas, head over to the main hall. We'll try to mount a rescue from there," Reever's voice is heard just before the colossal bang of Sir Komlin II crashing into the storage room behind us.

Allen shrieks and scrambles between its legs, and I'm not far behind.

We dive around the corner and out into the hall; Sir Komlin II close behind us.

"Great, not this again," I exclaim as we dash around the corner.

"STOP RUNNING!" Sir Komlin cries, "I AM ONLY TRYING TO TREAT YOUR INJURIES." As it speaks, a missile launcher springs up from its back and fires a round of missiles directly at us.

"Then why are you trying to kill us!" Allen cries; both of us scrambling out of the way as the explosives rain down around us, peppering the ground with explosions, dust, and shrapnel.

I stumble, and Sir Komlin is almost upon me before Allen wraps his arms around my waist and tugs me behind a pillar, momentarily out of the robot's line of sight. "Where to now?" I exclaim, gasping for breath. My lungs feel like their burning.

"Don't panic, Allen, Cas. Come this way," I spot Number 65 waving to us from another hallway.

"Thanks!" Allen and I quickly get our bearings, rushing around the corner and back into the main hall.

"Okay, we're here!" I exclaim.

"Where are you guys?" Allen adds.

"Right here," Reever calls just before the upside down pyramid-shaped platform that usually hovers just off the main hall's balconies slowly rises up to meet us, and we can see all of the Science Division members gathered on it.

"Sorry it took so long," Reever exclaims sheepishly, "We'll get you to safety this time."

"It's getting closer," Jake adds to him, checking a handheld detector.

I can hear the sound of Sir Komlin II vigorously spider-walking along the ground steadily closing in behind us.

"Johnny, do it," Reever says, turning to the younger scientist.

"Yes, sir, right away," Johnny replies with an enthusiastic thumbs up.

He then turns to the control panel on the platform and pulls a lever. Suddenly, a gigantic gun barrel bursts out of the bottom of the platform. Two of the scientists begin vigorously pumping a pair of levers and a golden energy begins to spark inside the gun.

"Distance 200, firing angle is set," one of the other Science Division members declares as the light inside the gun increases.

Johnny peers at his target through a telescope, hands clasped firmly around the controls, "Never underestimate a geek because we know how to bring the pain."

"Yeah!" the other scientists cheer in agreement.

The sound of Sir Komlin II's footsteps echoes through my ears; I turn to find the monstrous machine is directly behind me.

"Oh no," Allen whimpers.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" I cry, "Shoot the damn thing!"

Suddenly, "DON'T SHOOT SIR KOMLIN!" All of the scientists on the platform shriek as Komui launches himself over the railing and lands on top of Johnny; waving his arms and sobbing madly, he attempts to wrestle the other scientist away from the controls. "DON'T SHOOT MY BABY; HE'S ALL I HAVE!"

"Don't you care at all what happens to Allen and Cas?" Reever demands.

Komui whirls on Reever, his grip never slackening from its choke hold around Johnny, "DON'T BLAME MY BABY FOR EVERYTHING!"

Johnny struggles to break free, his hands grappling desperately at the levers on the control panel. As Komui continues to flail, I see Johnny's hand accidentally jerk down one lever then another.

 _Fuck._

Then everything goes to hell.

There's an explosion of light and color as a high-pitched screeching fills my ears. The platform jerks violently before it's starting rapidly spinning around, the gun goes off and light pours out from the end, shattering all along the walls. The color bullets explode on impact, their light burning against my eyes as the machine makes a noise like a freight engine.

I scream, clasping my hands over my ears as Allen and I duck behind a pillar in an attempt to avoid the storm of gunfire.

Sir Komlin II seems as affected by the commotion as the rest of us and begins thrashing madly about, smacking into the walls and ceiling, its limbs flailing awkwardly.

"What's all the fuss about?"

Allen and I glance up to see Kanda standing before us: the one glimmer of calm amongst the chaos around us.

"Kanda!" Allen exclaims in relief, "I'll explain later, but we need to stop this robot."

Kanda glances at the rampaging machine as if he's just now noticing it.

"If only we knew where its weak spot was," Allen adds.

The other Exorcist snorts, "Only an amateur wouldn't be able to see its weak spot. I had the joy of destroying a very similar robot to this in the past."

Allen blinks, "Huh?"

"So, where's its weak spot?" I demand, "Just tell us!"

"Hit it in the scruff," Kanda replies simply.

"In its scruff, got it," Allen quickly files that away in his mind. He pauses, "Wait! What the heck's scruff?"

Kanda smirks, "We'll that's too bad; I guess it's your fate to die then."

He then turns and briskly walks off.

"You think you're funny don't you, Kanda!" Allen screams after him, waving his arms and hopping absurdly on the spot.

"It's sneaking up from behind you. Cas, watch your back!" I hear Jake call.

"What?" I turn around just in time to see another of the robot's long, prehensile arms shoot out of its chest and clamp around my arm, my _left_ arm.

I shriek in pain as the creature tries to drag me forward. "Cas!" Allen cries as I kick and flail fighting desperately.

"Kid, the scuff is the neck! The neck!" I cry, bloody tears leaking from my eyes as Sir Komlin II continues to yank mercilessly on my weak limb.

"Huh? Oh, right." Out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash as Allen prepares to activate his weapon. But a second arm snakes out from Sir Komlin II and knocks Allen backwards. He flies backward and lands against the wall with a crack as his skull collides with the hard wood. Blood stings my nostrils as the robot continues to try and force me closer to its bulk.

 _Enough of this._

"Let. Me. GO!" I cry as Blood explodes out from my body in a whirl of crimson ribbons. The robot's grip goes slack, and I tumble from its grasp.

I fall like a stone, suspended only momentarily above the ledge before I tumble over the precipice.

Fortunately, luck is one my side for the first time that day; the platform the Science Division is on suddenly screeches to a halt, ceasing its rapid spinning and firing of its gun.

"Cas!" Reever and Jake leap outward in unison and grapple at my clothes, yanking my body over the rim of the platform. I collapse on my knees, gasping as my Blood continues to send alarms burning through my brain. This pain is intense, more so than usual. My Blood tends to do that when I'm in a weakened state, a warning of sorts I suppose.

"Are you okay, Cas?" Reever asks me.

"I will be," I reply thickly.

Then I hear Allen scream. I glance up in time to Sir Komlin II had rounded on him once more and captured him in its vice-like grip, holding him suspended upside down, dangling absurdly by the ankle like an over-sized Christmas ornament.

"ALLEN WALKER HAS BEEN CAPTURED. PROCEED TO OPERATING ROOM," Sir Komlin II declares as a set of double doors open on its chest.

A group of smaller white robots all suspiciously shaped like Komui peer out from within the darkness of the machine, clicking and whirling a serious of tortuous medical instruments threatening.

"Allen!" Reever cries.

"Kid, hit it in the neck!" I cry as Allen is dragged closer to Sir Komlin II.

Allen's pauses momentarily as he concentrates his energies. There's a sudden flash of familiar light, and Allen's Weapon comes into its own, shining in its new gun form.

"Oh wow! Is that the new Anti-Akuma Weapon?" Reever cries.

I nod as I stagger to my feet, gripping my arm.

Allen hones his gun onto Sir Komlin's weak point, but there's a sudden flash of something whistling through the air. It strikes Allen in back of the neck. He lets out a gasp of surprise before his arm deactivates, and his body goes as limp as a rag doll in Sir Komlin II's grasp.

Reever and I both whirl on the direction the object had come from to find Komui standing beside us with a blow dart.

Reever's jaw drops, "What the hell was that for?" he cries as I meanwhile tackle Komui around the waste in an attempt to get the dart away from him.

"My body feels like butterflies," Allen moans as he's dragged closer to the machine; a series of still more hands bloom out of the darkness like weeds, gripping his entire form.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip you apart!" I snarl as Komui and I roll around on the ground.

"He was going to use his Weapon on Sir Komlin II. He'll hurt him!" Komui wails as Reever and Johnny finally manage to separate us, Tap yanking the blow dart away from Komui as they do so.

I break away from Reever only to catch a glimpse of Lenalee lying unconscious on the other side of the empty expanse. She is leaning against the wall just outside the Science Division's main office, still miraculously unconscious despite all the craziness.

 _I'm useless as I am, and the kid…_ I glance back at Allen only to see him being pulled into further into the machine.

"I can't move; I think I'm paralyzed," he slurs, his gaze pleading before he vanishes inside Sir Komlin II, and the doors slam behind him.

"Allen, no!" Reever cries.

"Fight it, boy" Tap adds.

 _Damn it,_ I clench my fists. Glancing back at Lenalee, I know what I had to do.

"Cas, what are you doing!" Reever whirls on me just as I take a running leap off the platform. I sail over the abyss below us, every fiber of my worn body screaming in protest as I do so. I hit the ground just past the bannister and curl my body into a roll. I land with less grace then I would have liked, sucking in a sharp breath as my sore limbs burn from the exertion.

However, I don't have time to catch my breath as I jump up and rush to Lenalee.

"Hey, Legs…Legs! Come on," I cry, tapping her face, "You're an Exorcist, aren't you? Come on, you're the only one that can stop your brother's creation. Legs!" Despite all my attempts to rouse her, Lenalee doesn't move.

 _Damn it, that blasted machine must have overdosed the anesthesia._

My hands curl into fists. "Well, I suppose if I don't have a choice." As gently as I can, I tilt Lenalee's head upwards. "Sorry about this, Legs," I whisper before leaning in and tenderly kissing her on the lips.

From behind me, I hear exclamations of shock from the Science Division as well as Komui's high-pitched shrieks which soon turned into merciless declarations of murder towards ever cell I own.

I ignore him as I thread my energy through the heat of my body and into Lenalee; the power of my empathic link flows from one life form to another. I rarely did this, letting other Exorcists feel my emotions through the same connection that let me feel theirs but at the moment, I have no other choice.

Finally, I break the kiss in time to see Lenalee's eyes flutter open. She gazes up at me with her wide, amethyst irises, and I feel a twinge of guilt. _That was probably her first kiss._

"Cas?" Lenalee asks weakly.

I smirk, "Hey Legs, aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

From behind me, I hear Komui cry, "Stop flirting with my baby sister."

I round on him, "Stop your rampaging robot and I'll think about it."

I turn back in time to see Lenalee get to her feet. From the look in her eyes, I can tell she's assessed the situation, and is prepared to act.

"Innocence, activate." There is a blast of blue-green light blooming up from Lenalee's ankles. I stare in shock as tendrils of black wrap around her legs, and her veins burn with power. She rises up to her full height, the energy of her Innocence radiating from her body.

"What are those?" I whisper, pointing at her shoes.

She turns to me, smiling slightly, "My Equip-type Innocence. I call them the Dark Boots."

With that, she takes off. Her Boots propel her body up and out with enough force to make the floor shake. I look on in astonishment as Lenalee's slight body tumbles through the air. The scientists on the platform all gasp in surprise as Lenalee alights momentarily on the barrel of the gun, facing off against the robot that had just swallowed Allen.

She pauses for a mere fraction of a moment before she lunges forward and brings her legs down on Sir Komlin II's head, hard.  
There is a loud bang that's like a clap of thunder in the air, followed by another as Lenalee strikes the robot in the shoulder. It winds up to hit back, but she dances effortlessly away, before jumping up and bringing down another final strike directly at the robot's eye. The soulless blue jewel shatters like glass under the weight of her attack. Sir Komlin II staggers backward, his whole body shaking before he steadily goes limp and dies. Her expression like stone, Lenalee jumps back upwards, pushes off the wall for extra momentum before bringing her feet down on the robot one more time for good measure and the whole thing comes crashing down in a utterly destroyed heap.

The scientists all breathe a sigh of relief.

"Bravo!" I exclaim, clapping enthusiastically, "What a performance! And the mini-skirt didn't hurt either."

Komui glares at me as I walk over to the robot's remains. "You," he snarls, pointing an accusing finger at me, "I'll have your head, Cassandra Williams. Do you hear me? I'll have your head on stick! How dare you steal my darling Lenalee's maiden lips?"

I shrug at his threat, "It was going to happen sooner or later."

The rest of the scientists all jump from the platform, whooping and cheering with delight that the threat had finally been vanquished.

Reever, meanwhile, rushes over to the dead robot. "What about Allen? Can you see him?" he asks Lenalee.

My smile fades, "Kid! Where is he? Is he alright?" I rush over to where Reever and Lenalee are peering through the ruins, Blood spraying out behind me as I go.

"Allen?" Lenalee calls into the machine.

"Kid? You alright?" I ask, coming up behind her.

From within the robot's depths, a muffled voice suddenly calls, "Yeah, never been better."

I sigh with relief as Reever helps Allen out of the machine. Then I laugh; Allen is completely mummified. His entire body is wrapped from head to toe in bandages, even his face with only a few slits for his eyes poking out of the front.

"You look ridiculous," I exclaim, covering my hand as I snort with laughter.

I imagine Allen is probably scowling at me through the bandages. "Here. I'll help you get these off," Lenalee offers as she and Allen begin to peel off the layers of gauze.

"I'm glad you're alright," Reever declares, "I'd thought we'd lost one of our newest members to Komui's latest scientific debacle."

"That was a close one," Allen agrees, unraveling the last of the bandages.

 _Ooh, no shirt…Nice torso._ I blink rapidly, trying to clear my thoughts. "All this over a useless robot," I declare.

"Sir Komlin II sucks!" one of the scientists cries, kicking at the robot's dented chest.

"We should melt it down," another adds, kicking it as well.

The rest of the scientists join in, kicking and pounding on the machine. "Melt it down! Melt it down! Melt it down!" they chant, picking up bits of rubble and hurling it at the robot.

Komui scrambles in front of his destroyed creation, still attempting to defend it. "It's not Sir Komlin's fault; it's all because of the coffee!" he insists, spreading his arms in an attempt to shield the damaged machine. "You should defend the coffee, not the offender. Have some compassion, he's just a little boy," he sniffs, his voice breaking slightly.

Lenalee steps up to Komui, "Brother."

He turns to his sister, "Lenalee, you've got to stop these monsters."

Lenalee never wavers, "Go to your room and think about what you've done!" she cries before kicking out hard with her Dark Boots.

Komui screams as he and his robot tumble over the side of the railing and disappear into the darkness below.

I whistle, "Talk about harsh."

"Oh, he'll be fine," Reever replies, waving a hand dismissively, "We have mats down there for that very reason." He then turns back to Allen, "I'm really sorry about all this."

"Its fine," the boy replies.

"The Chief really is a good man," Reever continues, gesturing after Komui. "He had great intentions by building that robot to treat Exorcists, but it always seems to get out of hand."

"Or is a complete failure," I add.

"Right about that," Allen agrees, "I'm just glad no one was severely hurt."

"Speak for yourself," I reply, holding up my Bloodied arm, "This whole fiasco has set me back days."

"I'm truly sorry, Cas," Reever quickly apologizes.

I sigh, "It's fine, I guess. Just annoying."

"You really bleed a lot, don't you?"

"That's putting it mildly."

"Now that that's over, would you and Cas care to join me, Allen?" Lenalee calls.

Allen and I exchange a glance. "Huh?"

Lenalee giggles. "Come on."

* * *

We are lead into the cafeteria where a surprising display meets my eyes. The entire Order has gathered in the mess hall so the usually spacious room is bursting at the seams with a mixture of white jackets, beige smocks, and black and white coats. Jeryy had cooked more food then I'd ever seen in my life, enough for at least a dozen pot luck suppers with every dish imaginable lined up and down the white clothed tables in a rainbow array of deliciousness.

Multicolored streamers loop throughout the rafters as well as a huge, hand-painted sign with the words WELCOME ALLEN AND CAS printed on it in big, black letters.

"All this is for us?" I exclaim while Allen gaps from beside me, at a complete loss for words.

"Yep!" Lenalee exclaims with a laugh.

"Did you honestly think we'd let you join us without a welcoming party?" Reever asks as he takes a drink from Jeryy.

"Everyone was up all night getting ready," the chef adds.

"That's why I wanted you to deliver coffee with me, Allen," Lenalee explains, "I didn't want you to got to mess hall and spoil the surprise. Which reminds me," she holds up two polished white mugs, "Here you are, you're very own coffee mugs."

Allen and I each take a mug from her. I hold mine aloft to see that the underside has the initials CW printed on it.

"Welcome to the family, Allen, Cas," Reever exclaims, holding his drink aloft, "You're one of us now."

"Cheers!" everyone else cries, holding their own glasses up.

"We're so glad you're with us," Lenalee adds, pouring a fresh pot of coffee into each of our mugs.

I stare around at the display, eyes wide in utter astonishment. No one had done something like this for me since I was really little.

I glance over at Allen to see tears are brimming in his eyes. Cautiously, I reach out and clap him on the shoulder. He looks at me, his eyes misted.

" _Salute_ , kid," I say, holding my mug aloft.

Allen clinks his cup against mine. "It's good to be home," he declares.

After the party, I head back to my room far happier than I thought I could possibly be despite the absence of that weightless feeling in my chest or the heat of pleasure on my cheeks. The inhibitions of my nervous system are certainly a bother sometimes. Just once, I'd like to know what genuine happiness feels like.

I yawn loudly as I push the door open, only now realizing how utterly exhausted I am. It has been one hell of a day.

I pause in the doorway when I notice an unknown shape in the darkness. I light the lamp on my desk and it soon illuminates the familiar outline of a brand new sewing machine perched on my desk chair.

My face lights up as fast as my lamp did as I rush over to admire it. It is the best machine I'd ever had, since my only other model had been an old, creaky one with a dull needle that my mother had begrudgingly let me use. Perched on the top of machine is a card.

 _Consider this a homecoming gift. Welcome to the Black Order_

 _Johnny Gil_

I smile, "Thanks, Johnny." I glance at the machine and then at the mountain of fabrics staked on my bed. All fatigue leaves me; it's time to get to work.

I'm sitting at my desk with the sewing machine before me, yards of deep blue fabric spill from my fingers as I trace the needle in an elegant design across the cloth. I hum distractedly to myself, my fingers keeping to the rhythm of the tune, and I hardly notice the door open.

"Hey." I pause, glancing over my shoulder to see Allen standing on the threshold, his arms laden with food from the party.

"Jeryy said we could have the leftovers. I thought you could use a snack."

"You thought right," I reply, stopping the machine as Allen passes me half a sub and a piece of chocolate cake. I stuff both into my mouth, one after the other. Allen settles on my bed, chewing thoughtfully on the end of a hoagie.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," I remark to him. "I'm just going to be sewing."

"That's fine," Allen replies as he picks at an orange. "I'll watch. I find it kinda fascinating."

"Suit yourself," I reply, slightly self-conscious as I turn back to my machine.

"What was that song you were humming just a minute ago?" Allen inquires as I start sewing again.

"Huh? Oh, nothing much," I reply, my fingers feathering across the cloth, "I like to keep time when I sew and humming's a good way to do so, sometimes I even sing."

"Really?" Allen raises an eyebrow. "Can I hear you?"

I feel my cheeks flush slightly. "I guess."

I move the fabric through my fingers, listening to the steady thrum of the needle pounding against the cloth. I search for my bearings before I open my mouth and start to sing.

 _I'm watching myself_

 _Drifting away_

 _A vision so darkened_

 _I cannot stay_

 _I'm reaching out wide_

 _Trying to catch myself before I fall_

 _Too little too late_

 _Can you save me_

 _Where do we go when we walk on light_

 _Who do we call at the edge of night_

 _Carry me close like the tear drops in your eyes_

 _All I can give you is memories_

 _Carry them with you and I'll never leave_

 _I'll lay my head down_

 _But when I lay my head down_

 _Don't let me go_

 _Hold me in your beating heart_

 _I won't let go_

 _Forever is not enough_

 _Let me lay my head down on the shadow by your side_

 _Don't let me go_

 _Hold me in your beating heart_

I continue on with the song, and time flows away from me like the yards of material drifting out around me. I can feel Allen's gaze on the back of my neck, utterly mesmerized, but I don't look at him. I concentrate on my hands and the movement of the needle. I don't know how long we sit there like that as I finish one song and begin another, then another. Finally, my voice goes hoarse and my hands go numb. The lamp beside me has burned low, casting strange shadows across my fingers.

I halt the machine, and the needle goes silent. I gather up the shirt I'd made; getting to my feet, I drape it across the chair so I can finish it in the morning. I look over to my bed to see Allen lying sprawled across the covers, fast asleep. His hair flows out around him like dripping milk, his skin ghost white in the darkness with that single drop of red trailing down his left eye in the form of his scar. He looks so small, his pale form almost swallowed by the folds of my crimson bedspread. I look down at him, an odd sensation in the pit of my stomach.

 _Was it…fear?_

This image, it was not unlike the image that had haunted my nightmares and consumed my waking thoughts. The image of the little boy called Allen drowning in blood and being lost forever.

 _Stop._ I close my eyes, mentally shaking myself. _Don't think about that. You were happy a second ago, why did you have to go and ruin it?_

I sigh as I move to pick Allen up and carry him to his room, but something makes me pause. I glance at the clock on my bedside. _It's only eleven o' clock; if I start now, I might have time to finish it._

Leaving Allen where he is, I quickly gather up a basket full of as many colors of ink as I can find, careful not to disturb the boy as I stumble about through the half-light.

Arms full with the brimming basket; I quickly exit my room and hurry down the hall towards Allen's.

I pause at the door, my hand lingering over the doorknob _. Was this right? Wasn't I intruding on his personal space? I know I'd rip someone's head off if they ever went into my room uninvited._

Mentally shaking myself, I finally turn the doorknob and slip into the room. Inside, I flick on the light, casting the space into partial illumination. Allen's room is very plain; he had done little to personalize it. There's a desk, a wardrobe, and a bedside table much like mine; in fact, the room is almost identical to mine save a black and white checked carpet on the floor with a matching sheet on the bed.

Allen had pushed his desk chair against the wall, and his boots are resting against it. The left one squirms and falls over as I enter; I watched it curiously as the shoe continues to wiggle only to have Timcampy poke his head out of the top and flutter over to me.

"Hey, Tim," I whisper to the golem as he zips circles around my head. I press a finger to my lips, "Shhh, can you keep a secret?"

Timcampy eventually goes to rest on the windowsill as I move over to the bed, lugging along my basket of inks.

Allen's suitcase is open on the top of the covers with various articles of clothing strewn on and around the bed including two shirts, several socks, a pair of pants, and underwear.

I sniff, gingerly picking up said piece of material and flinging it across the room. As I do so, my mind goes back to seeing Allen shirtless earlier that day, the thought of his toned, lithe skin with slim, firm abs.

 _Stop_ , I shake the thought from my mind. _You need to focus, Cassandra. You don't have much time._

With that, I got to work.

* * *

The sun is just beginning to peer over the rim of the tree branches when I finally set down my brush. My arms are numb from hours of work, and I stretch, cracking my sore back. I clamber off the bed and step back to admire my handiwork.

I smile with satisfaction before I check the clock above Allen's desk. _Quarter past four, not even the kitchens are up yet._

With a yawn, I gather up my painting supplies and head out of the room, thoughts of collapsing on my bed and sleeping until five pm swimming through my head.

 _Wait a minute, Allen's still in my room!_  
"Shit!" I whisper to myself before I take off running down the hall despite complaints from my overworked body.

However, luck is with me as Allen's still sound asleep, lying sprawled across my bed. I laugh in spite of myself; he snores like a kitten.

Quickly, I set the basket of supplies down on my desk beside the sewing machine and then go to gather Allen up in my arms.

I carry him back to my room as carefully as I can in attempt not to wake him. I stumble slightly at one point and he stirs somewhat, but then drops back over the cusp of unconsciousness, and I'm spared form an awkward explanation.

Finally, we make it to his room. I lie him down across the bed, carefully undoing the buttons on his shirt for good measure before I stand back, pausing to admire my handiwork one last time, and then dashing out of the room.

I don't slow down until I'm almost to my room before I pause and try to shake the clammy feeling of embarrassment growing in the pit of my stomach.

 _Well, you did offer to paint him something for his wall_ , I remind myself, _You shouldn't be so antsy about it. All the same…_

Shaking my head, trying to clear it, I'm about to head back to my room, when a sudden feeling washes over me.

I pause as a sensation like my body is slowly being submerged in ice washes over me. My limbs tremble and I clench my fists, my vision swimming as everything around me slowly begins to fade away.

And then a feeling of uncontrollable rage bubbles up in my chest. It's the most intense anger I've ever felt in my life; it's like my Blood is rushing through my body at a burning temperature so hot its scalding my insides. My breath hitches in my throat, and suddenly I want to kick a wall in, knock a door down, throw a person to the floor and beat the ever loving shit out of them.

 _I can't stand plain food!_ A voice that makes my body feel like an inferno, boiling with rage, rings in the depths of my skull _. You stupid piece of fucking shit, I told you to make it sweet!_ I gasp, my mind reeling; I couldn't break free of the anger constricting my chest.

Then, just as quickly as it comes, the anger leaves me and is replaced by a pleasant agony, a tight constricting of the area below my belt. _Please, Skinn, have some courtesy. Can't the beatings wait until after our meal?_ I pant, feeling hot all over as the anger slowly rises back up to the surface.

 _I'm leaving. I refuse to eat that drivel._

I bit my lip as my cheeks flush more than normal. _Have it your way. Can't even pretend to like it; how uncultured._

 _Take it easy, Tyki._ I gasp as a sense of weightlessness washes over me; it's like gravity has released its hold on my, and I'm floating miles above the rest of the world. The sensation is like an icepack against my hot and bothered skin. _Let's keep things civil; we're trying to have a nice family dinner. Isn't that right, Lord Millennium?_ I can't breathe. Lord Millennium? _So, I was thinking you could set the mood for the rest of the evening by telling us why we're all here. Unless I'm mistaken, it's time for us to start the party._

I gasp as my reality comes rushing back to me. I'm on my knees in the middle of the hallway, grey sunlight streaming all around me as I heave, my lungs feel like their full of cement.

"What…the fuck…was that?" I choke, trying to catch my breath. I feel like I've been punched in the gut. _That was an empathic episode, no doubt about that_ , I think to myself, _but those feelings, those intense feelings of rage, pleasure, and fantasy, each corresponding to a voice, and the Earl…They mentioned the Earl. Were these Innocence Accommodators? Could those dark thoughts and desires really come from someone holding something so pure?_

Somehow I doubt it. I sit up and peer around, blinking rapidly as I try to center my thoughts. _What do I do? Do I go to Komui about this? But what would I tell him? I don't have nearly enough information._ I stare down at my hands, rubbed raw from being slammed into the rough floor as I'd fallen to my knees.

"I guess I should just bide my time for now," I muse. "Perhaps I'll go to him when I have more information."

"Cas!" I jump when I hear Allen's voice. Quickly, I scramble to my feet just as he comes sprinting down the hall towards me; his hair is disheveled and his clothes are wrinkled from sleeping in them all night.

"Hey, kid," I exclaim, fighting to keep my voice even, "What's up?"

"What do you mean 'what's up'?" the boy cries as he grabs my arm and drag me back down the hall to his room. "Did you do this?" he asks as we cross the threshold.

I glance up at the wall, smiling as I see the newly painted mural gleaming in the early morning light. The painting depicts a clown, a court jester of sorts, walking along a dark and harsh trail, carrying a heavy coffin on his shoulders.

Late last night as I had labored over the art piece, I had remembered the words that Allen's father Mana had whispered to him:

 _Keep walking._

"You know you didn't have to do this," Allen says, jerking me from my thoughts.

I look at him, "You don't like it?"

He shakes his head, a smile on his lips. "Like it? I love it!" He exclaims as he throws his arms around my shoulders. "Thank you so much, Cas."

I stiffen at his hug, unsure of how to respond. "Uh, no problem, kid; I'm glad you like it."

I stand where I am, one hand reaching up to gingerly pat Allen's back, trying to ignore the horrible feeling slowly creeping through my body.

* * *

A/N: In case you're wondering, the song Cas sings is 'Don't Let Me Go' by Raign. It's from the Vampire Diaries. And we've got a glimpse of the Noah! But what's up with Cas's empathic episode? After all, she said she could only connect to Innocence Accommodators


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I'm back from my hiatus! I hope everyone had a great holiday, and now here's a chapter as a belated Christmas gift :)

* * *

Chapter 9: The Rewinding Town

* * *

"So, there you have it."

Silence follows my final sentence, ending my long spiel of a story. I fold my arms and lean back in my chair, thrusting its front off the ground and balancing precariously on the two back legs. I sit and wait for Komui to respond.

He's looking at me, his expression unreadable over the rim of his wire-rimmed spectacles. He briefly glances down at my file spread open on his desk. I look at it too, and I can see photos of myself in various stages of life, pictures of my house and my hometown. There's information on my grandmother, my mother, and even my-.

Komui slams the file shut, redirecting my attention to his face as he steeples his fingers and rests his chin on top of them. "Well, I must admit, Cas, that is quite the tale."

I scoff, "You're telling me. If I'd heard anyone but me say it, I'd think they were crazy."

"Well, you're circumstances serve as confirmation, so there can't be any doubt."

My eyes widen in spite of myself, "Circumstances?"

"Regarding your Innocence," Komui explains.

I feel my insides twist at his words. "Hevlaska told me," he adds before I can ask.

I grit my teeth, "I told her not to say anything."

"I'm sorry, Cas, but it's standard protocol for Hevlaska to inform me of the properties of all Innocence that comes in to the Order's hands; you are no exception. However, aside from Hevlaska and myself, no one else need know of your…unique attributes."

I sigh, partially relieved. "Fine. Can I go now?"

"If you have nothing further to say."

I pause; my mind instantly goes back to the strange voices and emotions in my mind from the day of Allen's and my welcoming party, but that had been weeks ago, and I hadn't had anything similar since. "No, I'm fine," I finally say.

"As you wish."

I get to my feet and turn to leave.

"One more thing, Cas," Komui calls after me, causing me to pause in the doorway. "You really ought to learn how to trust people a little more. We're all on the same side, after all."

I don't answer as I push the door open and step out into the hall. I have barely crossed the threshold and closed the door to Komui's office behind me when a wave of fear so intense it nearly knocks me backwards off my feet crashes down on top of my body.

I gasp and stagger back a step, my back smacking against the wall. I gasp, breathing arhymically as my stomach churns and my limbs shake. One hand clasps at my chest, feeling a tightness beneath my ribs.

I struggle for calm; hardly able to breath the feeling is so intense. _It's not your fear…It's not your fear._

Like a clock, pounding like a clock in my head; the hands constantly move, move in a circle, round and round.

 _It's the exact same newspaper again! Same articles…Same pictures…Same horoscope!_

 _Tick tock tick tock_

 _BONG!_

"Gah!" Dazed, I stagger to my feet and rush forward, only to smack into the wall. As I lie on the ground, groaning, the door behind me opens, and Komui pokes his head out.

"Good gracious, Cas, are you alright?"

"Fine," I reply through gritted teeth as I sit crouched on the ground, my head in my hands.

 _Round and round and round I go. Tick tock tick tock, the circle completes another revolution, and I'm back at the beginning again._

"If you don't mind my asking, what on earth are you doing?"

I glance up at Komui, my eyes bleary. "Checking the density of your wall," I spat, shuffling to my feet and turning to head off down the hall. "It seems fine," I add over my shoulder.

 _God, these empathic episodes are starting to become debilitating. What if I have one in the middle of a battle against Akuma? At this rate, I'm going to seriously injure myself._ I rub my forehead, trying to ignore the rhythmic pounding of my Blood in my ears and instead focus on my empty stomach.

I reach into the pocket of my pants and pull out my silver watch dangling from the chain clipped to my belt. _It is about time for dinner_ , I muse to myself, pocketing the watch.

Looking to my right, I realize that I've wandered past Allen's room. Might as well invite him along; Allen has never passed up the opportunity to eat with me the last five weeks we've been here."

 _Five weeks…It's been five weeks since we first came to the Order._

"What a bizarre notion," I think to myself as I rap my knuckles sharply against Allen's door.

There is a pause and then, "Come in!" Allen calls, sounding slightly strained.

Perplexed, I push open the door only to find Allen balancing upside down on one arm on the top of his desk chair, which is tipped precariously on a single leg, in the center of the room. He's suspended with one arm behind his back, the other moving his body up in down in some strange set of push-ups.

"Don't move!" he calls to me as I pause on the threshold.

"Uh…okay," I say, confused.

"One ninety seven…One ninety eight…one ninety nine…two hundred," Allen exclaims with a grunt of exertion. "There. Done," he gasps, grinning triumphantly before flipping off the chair and alighting down in front of it as it tips back to land on all four legs again with a clatter.

I stand in the doorway, mouth open.  
"What?" Allen asks.

"I…" I open my mouth to respond, but then close it shut again, unsure of what to say. "Did you really just do a hundred of-whatever that was?" I finally ask.

"Actually, it was _two_ hundred," Allen corrects me.

I smirk. "I see. _Very_ impressive," I declare, striding into the room and walking a wide arc around the boy, examining him closely, "Yes, not bad. Not bad at all."

"I'm glad you think so," the boy exclaims brightly, "I'm actually working my way up to three hundred."

I grin at his ignorance, "That wasn't what I meant."

Allen flushes. "Oh."

"So, on that note, why don't you go take a shower, and I'll meet you downstairs for dinner?" I offer.

"Sure thing," Allen replies, picking up a towel from the floor and drying off his sweaty neck. "Save me a seat," he adds before heading into his bathroom.

"Sure thing, and I'll tell Jeryy the usual," I add before leaving the room and heading down to the mess hall.

* * *

When I enter the large dining room, pretty much everyone else is already there: a turbulent sea of beige Finders' cloaks vigorously chatting and eating away, occasionally speckled with a splash of black and white from an Exorcist coat, matching the cloak I have slung over my shoulders covering my freshly made clothes.

I move down the line of crowded tables, spying Toma sitting at the end of one of them. He smiles at me through his bandages; I wave in response as I maneuver over to Jerry's booth to order Allen's and my food.

"Cas! Over here." I jump, nearly dropping the several trays I've precariously balanced along both arms. I dare to turn my lead slightly to the left, jostling the tray perched on my head, to see Lenalee standing on her bench, vigorously waving at me.

I smile in response before awkwardly shuffling my way over to her and the others at her table. I see that they're mostly Exorcists: including Kanda, who's sitting at the end scowling into his ramen.

"Hey, Legs. What's up?" I say to Lenalee as I sidle into an empty spot on the bench, gently depositing the heaping platters of food on the space before me.

"I'd like you to meet some of the other Exorcists," the girl replies brightly, gesturing to the other black and white coats pressed in around us.

The one sitting directly across from me, who's a man in his mid-thirties with sharp features and slicked back black hair, holds out his hand to me.

"Nice to meet you. Suman Dark," he introduces himself.

"Same here; I'm Cas," I reply, shaking his hand.

"And this is Kazana Reed and Chalker Laboun," Lenalee adds, gesturing to a man with spiked blonde hair and a boy with messy light brown hair.

"Nice to meet you," I say to them, shaking their hands.

"And you know Kanda, of course," Lenalee concludes.

"Of course," I reply, grinning at him, but he doesn't even look at me: seemingly content with trying to curdle his soup with his eyes.

"So, you're a Parasite-Type too, huh?" Suman asks me as I pull a large steak towards me and start carving it up.

"Uh, yeah," I reply, heaving a generous forkful into my mouth. "Wait, 'too'?" I choke.

"Yeah, Suman's Parasite-Type as well," Lenalee explains.

"Really? Where?" I ask him.

Suman smiles, holding up his arm to show that's its heavily armored, but faint traces of chiseled black skin can be seen peeking out from under the metal clasps. "What about you?" he asks me.

"Uh, mine's kind of everywhere," I explain, shifting awkwardly. "It's my blood."

Suman's eyes widen. "Really?"

"Yeah," I reply hesitantly.

"You should see it; it's really cool," Lenalee adds with a smile.

"It's perfectly disgusting," Kanda calls from his end of the table.

My eyes narrow, "Excuse me, I don't believe anyone asked for your opinion, Boy Toy," I snap at him. "So why don't you go back to death glaring your noodles."

Kanda doesn't respond as Suman and the others laugh.

"But how come you don't, like, bleed out and stuff?" Chalker asks me.

"It's quite simple actually," I reply, as I finish my steak and begin ladling chowder into my mouth, "The average human being produces about 2,000 gallons of blood per day, I produce about 50 times that amount, so there's really no possible way I could ever bleed to death."

"Wow, that's really impressive," Suman declares.

"It's not _tha_ t great, really," I insist.

"So, isn't there another new recruit that came with you?" Kazana asks.

"Yeah, Allen Walker. He'll be along in a little bit."

"Well, forgive me if I don't wait for him," Suman exclaims before shoveling salad into his mouth.

 _Right, Parasite-type._

I glance down at Allen's food spread out across the seat I'd manage to save for him. Amongst the feast containing all elements of the food pyramid, I spy a generous helping of raspberry tiramisu sitting all sweet and plush with a heaving pile of whipped cream on top.

I lick my lips. _Well, Allen won't notice,_ I think as I reach for the dessert.

"Hey, that's mine," Allen cries, smacking my hand away.

 _Damn it._

"I wasn't going to eat it; I swear," I exclaim innocently, holding my hands up in surrender.

Allen glares at me, tugging his food closer before digging in with gusto.

I groan as I go back to my own food, still half-eyeing the tiramisu.

"So, this is Allen then?" Suman then asks.

The boy glances up at him, flecks of bread bowl and cabbage soup dotting his full cheeks.

As Lenalee goes around introducing everyone at the table to him, I lean over and discreetly scoop the whipped cream off Allen's tiramisu.

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," Allen concludes, turning back to his dinner, "Hey!"

"What?" I ask as he rounds on me.

"I hate you," Allen grumbles.

"Sure you do," I reply knowingly, reaching forward and dropping a dollap of whipped cream on his nose.

He scowls, picking up a strawberry and throwing it at me.

I catch it in my napkin, retaliating by flicking a meatball at him.

It lands in his soup, splattering it all across the table.

"Cas!" Allen cries, grabbing a handful of croutons and hurling them at me.

I duck, dodging the onslaught as they sail over my head and land in Kanda's bowl of ramen.

"Oh for God's sake, grow up!" he cries, jumping to his feet and, taking his now ruined soup with him, stalks away from the table.

"What _is_ his problem?" I ask, watching him leave, but my question is soon forgotten as Allen dumps a healthy serving of potato salad down the back of my shirt.

"You little shit!" I exclaim as the gooey coldness dribbles down my spine. I snatch a fistful of shepherd's pie and prepare to hurl it at him when Lenalee suddenly interjects.

"Both of you stop," she declares, getting to her feet.

Allen and I freeze, the beef juices from the shepherd's pie running down my wrist as I turn to look at her.

"Where are you off to?" I ask her.

"My brother will be needing his evening coffee," the girl replies simply, "But he also wants you two to come along. Apparently, there's an assignment for us.

With that, she walks off.

"Wow, that's the first news of Innocence activity we've heard of in a while," Suman muses.

"In that case, we better go," Allen exclaims, jumping up and hurrying after Lenalee.

I sigh as I set down my now crushed slice of pie. "Am I ever going to get to finish a meal in this place?"

* * *

"Oh, coffee, nectar of the gods!" Komui exclaims, practically leaping for joy as Lenalee hands him his steaming drink in his favorite pink and blue rabbit mug.

"So, what's this about an assignment?" Allen ask as I continue to try and rub potato salad out of my hair with some stray paperwork.

"Well, there's this town," the Branch Head begins, taking a long swig of his coffee, "And there might be Innocence there, maybe…No probably."

Allen and I exchange a glance.  
Sound diagnosis.

"Okay, you know how I just said probably?" Komui continues to ramble. "It's more like _maybe_."

"God, which is it?" I snap. "I want to go back to my food, or at least what Allen didn't dump down my shirt."

"Don't blame me; you stole my dessert," Allen snaps back.

"Just the whipped cream!"

"Okay, let's go with maybe," Komui finally declares, "Because it might be there, but it might now be because I don't really know to be honest. Who can really say for sure?"

I groan dramatically.

"Patience, Cas," Lenalee urges.

"I still don't get what you're trying to say," Allen say to Komui.

"And what's to get my friend," he replies, taking another sip of his drink. "Apparently there's a town on there that's being constantly rewound."

"What does that mean?" Lenalee asks.

"Let me explain." Komui sets down his mug, "Time and space appears to have come to a standstill in this one particular town, causing a single day to endlessly repeat."

"Whoa, spooky," I muse.

"Reever, would you come in here?" Komui calls out his open office door.

"I'm coming," the Chief calls back as he appears in the doorway, holding a file. "Here's everything we have so far," he adds to Allen, Lenalee, and me as he reads from the file, "We just heard about this from a wholesaler who supplies the town's liquor store: on October 28th, he received an order for ten barrels of red wine to be delivered for the following day, October 29th. He attempted the delivery, but was physically incapable of entering the town as though a force field of some kind were stopping him. Since then he's received the exact same order verbatim every day."

"You're right, Cas; that is spooky," Allen agrees.

"Hold on, let me get this straight," Lenalee exclaims, "You're saying that, in this town, it's still October 28th even though it's almost December now? How strange."

"We've tried to investigate this matter, but it appears our Finders are having troubling entering the city as well," Komui continues, "And because of that, everything else we know is still theory."

"First off, if this phenomenon is being triggered by some form of Innocence, than Exorcists might be able to enter the town while others can't" Reever explains.

"But if the Order's information really does prove correct that this town is stuck on a time vacuum on October 28th, it's quite possible that you won't be able to _leave_ once you get inside," Komui concludes.

"Great," I groan.

"Well, what do you think? Shall we go?" Lenalee asks, turning to Allen and me.

"Uh, sure," Allen replies.

"Where is this town?" I ask Komui.

"Germany," he replies.

I start, my hands curling into a fist.  
"Is that going to be a problem, Cas?" he asks pointedly.

"No, of course not," I reply through gritted teeth as Allen looks at me in confusion.

"Yeah, it's on the coast of Western Germany so you'll have to travel by train and then boat," Reever informs us, flipping through a few of the file pages until he produces our tickets for these modes of transport, "It might take a few days."

"That's alright," I reply, simply, "If what you say is true, this town isn't going anywhere anyways."

"Great, then let's go pack," Lenalee exclaims, skipping out of the room with Allen and me close behind.

"Be careful, Lenalee," her brother calls out cheerfully.

"So, why do you think Innocence would cause a town to constantly repeat the same day like this?" Allen asks me once we're in the hall.

"I don't know," I reply with a shrug, "But I suppose we're about to find out."

* * *

After we've gather our things, Lenalee, Allen and I all troop down to the underground canal system where a gondola is waiting for us.

Lenalee settles down in the middle of the boat with our luggage while Allen and I grab the oars and take our positions at the bow and stern. Allen pushes off from the dock, and soon were cruising through the dark, eerie waters.

As he rows, Allen intently studies the copy of the file Reever had given us.  
"I've never seen anything like this," he murmurs.

"So, you're new lives? Do you like it?" Lenalee suddenly pipes up.

Allen turns to look at her. "You mean the jobs or how I'm living with the Order now?"

"I guess both," she replies.

"I'm still getting used to the work," Allen admits, "But I like living with the Order; it's almost like a family, you know? Wouldn't you agree, Cas?" he adds to me.

I blink in surprise. "Yeah, I guess you're right," I reply distractedly.

"Everyone's been really nice to me," Allen continues although he flinches at the thought, "Well, except one person," he grumbles, and I know he's thinking of Kanda.

 _God, what a prick._

He was right though; in comparison to the hostile environment of my village and my mess of a home life, the laid back and welcoming demeanor of the Black Order had certainly been a breath of fresh air.

"I'm glad," Lenalee says cheerfully before her expression becomes oddly somber, "As for me, it took me quite a while to get used to it."

"Really? I thought you joined the Order with your brother," Allen exclaims.

"No, at first I was all by myself," Lenalee replies simply, "You have no idea how happy I was when my brother joined me here at the European Branch. I didn't leave his side for the first few months he was here."

I nearly drop my oar, "Wait, what?" I cry, thinking back to how clingy and over protective Komui can be around his sister; the reverse seemed far too bizarre.

"I find that hard to believe," Allen agrees.

Lenalee giggles, guessing what we were thinking. "Yeah, I'm not sure what to do with him."

 _Gee, I wonder why Lenalee came to the Order before her brother did. From what I've been told, she's been at the Branch for years, which would mean she was here all by herself, without anyone. That seems kinda strange._

I shake my head, trying to clear it.

"Alright, this conversation's getting kinda awkward. How about a song?" I chime in,  
"He says, 'Son, can you play me a memory? I'm not really sure how it goes, but it's sad and it's sweet, and I knew it complete when I wore a younger man's clothes'!" I belt out as we continue to row along the canal. "Sing us a song, you're the piano man. Sing us a song tonight. Well, we're all in the mood for a melody, and you've got us feelin' alright!"

* * *

"Yuck, what a gloomy day," I sulk, the weather almost as sour as my mood, as I reach into the pocket of my shorts, producing a handkerchief in an attempt to towel off my pipe. "I can't smoke for shit in all this rain."

"I'm sure it will clear up soon," Lenalee urges as she walks along ahead of Allen and me, umbrella in hand. "By the way, I like the new outfit, Cas."

"Huh? Oh, thanks. I made it myself," I reply, gesturing to the ensemble I'd put together when we'd left our hotel that morning. It consisted of a pair of black velvet shorts over black tights and black buckle boots. A matching black velvet cross-buttoned top adorned in brass clasps under a long black trench coat and a black top hat. A silver cross dangled from a chain at my hip. My scarlet hair was hanging stringy and soggy around my made-up face, already coming loose from its curls.

I flick a match over my damp pipe once more, but it still doesn't take. "Damn it!"

"Hey, that must be it!" Allen pipes up, running ahead of Lenalee and me. I glance up to see a walled village slowly begin to melt out of the mist. The road we were on stops dead at its entrance, not exactly uninviting, but the chilling mist that lingers across the gate, obscuring the street behind from view still sends shivers down my spine.

Sitting beside the gate, a round of solitaire laid out before him in the grass is:

"Toma!" Allen cries as we reach him.

The Finder glances up, "I've been expecting you," he exclaims, getting to his feet.

"How are you?" I ask.

"Good. Thanks."

"So, I take it you haven't gotten inside yet," Lenalee observes.

"Right. I tried to, but I couldn't."

"What do you mean you 'couldn't'?" Allen asks.

"Observe." The Finder than walks over to the entrance to the village and sticks his hand over the threshold. Instantly, shocks of blue light leap up from seemingly thin air, and Toma is forced to jump back in order to prevent being electrocuted.

"Just like the guy with the wine," I muse.

"That's as far as I can get," Toma continues, "Unfortunately, the only thing I know about this town is the exterior wall. Nobody goes in or out, and I can't see anything of what's inside."

"It makes me wonder if we'll be any different," Allen adds.

"Well, we won't know if we don't try," Lenalee declares.

"Okay, not it!" I announce.

"Oh, come on, Cas" Lenalee exclaims, grabbing my arm and tugging me towards the town line.

"Wait! I'm not in the mood to be cooked," I cry, but she steps over the threshold, Allen right behind us.

"Be careful," Toma calls after us as we cross into the mysterious village.

It's like walking through a sheet of icy rain; pins and needles shoot up and down my arms, and my whole body stiffens with cold as I pass through the force field.

However, as soon as the sensation starts, it stops, and I'm left standing beside the other two in the middle of a perfectly normal main street. Shops line up and down the cobblestone road, and all manner of people are moving about, the buzz of chatter hanging over the crowd.  
Everyone walks at their own pace, hardly a sense of urgency anywhere. Despite the gloom of the grey buildings and overcast sky, everyone seems content; completely unaware that they have supposedly been going through the same day for the last month.

"That was easier than I thought," Allen muses.

"You're telling me; I'm almost disappointed in a way," Lenalee adds.

"I'm not; I'd rather keep my skin where it is, thanks," I reply sharply, reaching into my oversized pocket and pulling out my cane. "Now, let's see. If I were Innocence, where would I be?"

"Uh, Cas, you technically _are_ Innocence," Allen reminds me.

I glare at him. That comment struck a nerve, and he doesn't even know it.

Lenalee looks around, "What do you say we split up? We'll cover more ground that way."

"That seems like a good idea," Allen replies.

"No complaints from me," I add.

"Alright. How about we meet up at that pub around lunchtime?" Lenalee asks, gesturing to a cramped little restaurant nestled in the shadow of two office buildings.

"Sounds good," Allen replies.

Lenalee then heads off with one last smile of farewell.

Allen turns to leave as well just as a woman comes out of one of the shops a short ways down the street. She's dressed in a plain black dress with a wool shawl draped loosely over her shoulders; her skin is ghostly pale, her cheeks sallow, and there are heavy shadows under her eyes as though she hasn't slept in weeks. Her coarse brown hair is pulled up into a tight bun, exposing her utterly miserable grey eyes which blended well with the all-around depressing atmosphere of the village.

 _Tick._

"Kid," I grab Allen's arm.

"What?"

 _Tock._

"I…I'm not sure. Just a feeling I'm getting."

"What? Are you sensing Innocence?" Allen asks, perking up immediately.

 _Tick._

"I...I don't know," I reply distractedly, my eyes following the woman as she comes closer.

 _Tock._

She turns to walk along the sidewalk towards us but her way is suddenly stopped by a pack of school boys.

"Look, it's the Bad Luck Lady!"

"Yeah, let's get her!"

The woman seems remarkably unfazed as the boys chase after her down the street, haggling her relentlessly as they chant and jeer.

The smallest of the gang, who is undoubtedly the leader, even hurls a stick full of dog shit at her.

However, the woman easily steps to the side, avoiding the disgusting mess with astounding ease.

"No way, she dodged it!" the boy half-whined.

The woman looks indignant, "You know, kid, it really isn't all that difficult when you've had thirty straight days of practice."

Allen's jaw drops at her words.

"I knw it," I hiss in his ear, "There is something off about her."

"What are you talking about?" the boy cries, "I've never thrown that poo at you before in my life."

"Peter, careful, you're going to catch her bad luck," a bespectacled boy urges his friend.

The children all laugh as they continue to jeer, "Miranda, Miranda, she's all bad luck. Full of doom, full of gloom, what a dumb and ugly duck! Looking for a job today? Who cares, you'll just get chucked."

"What loathsome little brats," I whisper.

The woman, Miranda, scowls at the boys, and they all shriek before rushing away, whooping and hollering.  
"Look out! She's feeding us with bad luck!"

"Those brats," the woman spat as she turns and heads past us, turning and disappearing into a side alley.

"Hey, wait!" I call, rushing after her, Allen close behind me.

As we round the corner into the alley, a horrible sight comes before our eyes.

An Akuma, as tall as a house, is leering down at the woman called Miranda. She trembles, whimpering as she looks up at the monstrous creature looming over her.

"Give us the Innocence," it hisses through large, snake-like teeth as it slams its long clawed hand made of stitched blue skin into Miranda's body, pinning her to the alley wall. "You have the Innocence. Give it to us," the Akuma snarls.

"I'd let go of her if I were you," Allen calls, causing the Akuma to turn its head in time to see his left arm consumed in light and transform into the gun form of his Weapon.

The Akuma rounds on us; with a roar, it sends a blast of burning pink energy directly at Allen and me. We leap to the side, dodging the attack as it explodes, disintegrating a huge chunk of the road.

The Akuma lunges for Allen as I slip between its legs, my Blood tendrils shooting out and coiling around the woman, pulling her to safety.

"Get down" I cry, pulling myself up beside her.

She gapes at me, tears pooling in her deep set eyes. "Someone I've never seen before," she whispers, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Am I dreaming? Could it really be tomorrow?"

"Hey, are you listening?" I demand just as the Akuma slams its hand down on where Allen had been standing. The boy jumps away as dust and debris rain down around us.

"Hit the dirt," I yell, throwing myself on top of the woman, and we both fall to the ground to avoid the impact.

Allen takes a swipe at the Akuma, but the creature dodges it despite its bulky size.

"Allen!" I call just as the woman jumps up. "Hey, wait!" I cry as she hoists up her skirts and scampers out of the alley.

"It's tomorrow! It's tomorrow! Yippee!" she exclaims giddily.

"Wait! Come back," I call, scrambling to my feet, but I'm too late.

The Akuma suddenly fires another blast, catching Allen off guard. He gasps as the impact hits him; I've barely turned around in time to see him fly into the alley wall, smacking hard into the rough brick.

"Kid!" I scream as the smoke dissipates. The Akuma lurches towards him, slimy tongue lolling as it raises its huge arm for another strike.

"Hey, asshole!" I call. The Akuma whirls around in time for me to slice it in half with a Blood blade protruding from my arm.

The creature shrieks as its torso caves in two before crumbling to ash.

I drop to the ground, breathing hard as my Blood pools around my ankles, mixing with the Akuma's remains.  
"Allen!" I call, rushing over to where he's lying, delirious, in the mud. "Kid! Hey, you alright?" I ask, dropping to my knees beside him. I place my hand to the side of his face, and he stirs, his eyelids fluttering slightly.

"C-Cas?" Allen whispers, coughing heavily.

"Ugh. God, don't scare me like that," I exclaim, allowing myself to breathe a sigh of relief.

Allen looks at me, dazed. "The Akuma…?"

"It's alright. I took care of it."

"And the woman?"

I wince. "She got away. I'm sorry; you hit the wall, and then I got distracted, and she ran off. I tried to stop her but-"

"Don't worry about it," Allen says, getting to his feet. He sways heavily, gripping his probably still throbbing head.

"Hey, take it easy," I urge, holding out my arm to prop him up.

"I'm alright," he reassures me. "Just a bump to the head."

"God, kid, you're going to put grey hairs on my head at this rate," I grumble as I help him out of the alley.

Allen laughs at that.

"So, what should we do now?" I add.

"I guess we should just head to the pub and wait for Lenalee there," Allen replies. "She's bound to want to know about this."

"Alright," I say as I glance back to where the Akuma had fallen. "If anything, that guy being here is proof enough: there definitely is Innocence in this town, and that woman, whoever she is, has something to do with it."

* * *

When Allen and I enter the pub, we find Lenalee already there waiting for us at a table by the window.

As soon as we sit down, a waiter comes over and Allen and I order everything on the menu.

"So, any luck?" Lenalee asks once he'd left.

"Actually, yeah," I reply before Allen and I tel her about our encounter with the strange woman and the Akuma in the alley.

"You lost her!" Lenalee cries once we finish our story. "How could you lose her?"

"Hey, you try keeping someone still when there's a giant monster trying to kill them," I snap indignantly.

"And at least we know what she looks like," Allen adds as Timcampy buzzes around his head. "I mean, this village isn't _too_ big, we're sure to run into her again sooner or later."

Lenalee sighs. "If I had known this was going to happen, I never would have split us up in the first place. Now, the Akuma you say, are you _positive_ it said Innocence?" she asks us.

"Yeah," Allen replies.

"Pretty positive," I agree. "And the woman did mention something about doing the same thing for thirty days straight, which is about the amount of time the town has been rewinding, so I think she's somehow unaffected by this phenomena."

At that moment, the waiter brought over our food.  
"You're going to eat all that?" Lenalle gapes as plate after plate piles up on the table.

"I'm gonna try," Allen replies, snatching up the stack and tearing off a big slice.

I grab the kohlroulade* and mettbrotchen**, shocked at the sudden nostalgia flooding my system as I ate.

I'm trying to shake it off when Lenalee speaks up:

"It looks like my brother's theory was correct after all."

"What makes you saw that?" I ask through a mouthful of schnitzel.

"Right after I split with you, I attempted to leave the town, but it just spit me back in again," Lenalee explained.

Allen pales, nearly choking on his cabbage soup.

"So, it's just as we feared," I muse. If I didn't have stunted sympathetic nervous system, my heart would probably be racing in fear.

Lenalee nods gravely, taking a sip of her coffee. "Now, we're stuck in this endless loop of town just like everyone else. That's why we need to get the Innocence ASAP."

"Innocence?" a small voice whispers.

Allen screams, causing me to nearly choke on my onion stew.

He lunges forward in his seat, pointing to the booth in front of us where a very familiar face is gazing at us from behind the seat.

"That's her, Lenalee! That's the woman!" he cries as I gag into my sleeve. The woman screams and jumps to her feet. She makes a move for the exit, but Allen lunges forward to grab her sleeve.

However, this barely deters the woman, who only drags Allen off the bench and pulls him to the floor. He does a rather impressive face-plant while the woman trips and lands on her butt in the aisle.

She scrambles back, breathing heavily as she fixes us with wide, petrified eyes.

"Hey, take it easy," I exclaim, jumping up and stepping over Allen groaning on the floor. "We don't want to hurt you. We're here to help."

"She's right," Allen mutters, slowly getting to his feet. "We know what's going on, and we're going to try and fix it."

The woman gapes at us. "You-You're going to stop everything from rewinding?" she whimpers.

"Uh, yeah," I reply distractedly, glancing around to see that everyone in the pub is staring at us.

"It's our job; we're Exorcists," Allen adds, walking over to the woman.

"Exorcists?" she whispers.

"Yeah, my name's Allen Walker, by the way," he adds, flashing her one of his irresistible grins.

The woman seems to calm down somewhat as she gingerly takes his hand and allows him to lead her back over to our booth.

She takes the seat next to Lenalee while Allen and I sit back down in our spots across from them.

As we get settled, the barman goes over to the telephone.

"Hello, I'd like to place an order for ten barrels of red wine; I need it by tomorrow," he says into the receiver.

Allen glances over to him. "This must be that place Reever mentioned," he whispers to me.

I nod, before turning to the woman, "So, why don't you start at the beginning?"

The woman nods, her white lips pursed as she looks down at her hands lying clasped in her lap. "My name is Miranda Lotto, and I'm alone, so I'm happy to find people who can see what I see. I would mention it to people, but they'd just mock me. This last month has been unbearable, so much so that I've contemplated suicide. But I've learned the only way to stay alive is to dodge that pile of dog poo every day!" she exclaims, giggling gleefully at the thought.

Allen and I exchange a glance. I twirl my finger around my ear and point at Miranda, whistling in a 'she's cuckoo' fashion.

He nods in agreement before turning back to Miranda, "So, Ms. Lotto, you're the only one that can see the abnormalities happening here?"

"Yes. It's as if everyone else has no idea what's happening," Miranda cries. "Please!" she lunges across the table and grabs my hand so tight I'm afraid she's going to snap my fingers. "You have to help me; you saved my life from that monster. You saved me once, you can save me again," she sobs, tears streaming thickly down her hollow cheeks.

"Yes, yes, of course, but you need to calm down," I insist, shrinking back uncomfortably as I try and pry my hands away from Miranda's death-grip.

"Something must have happened on the first October 28th to trigger the repetition," Lenalee muses, "Do you have any idea what it could be?" she asks Miranda.

"How many times do I have to tell you people? It's _always_ October 28th here," Miranda wails.

Beside me, Allen suddenly stiffens; I turn to look at him and see his left eye has turned black with a red ring signifying its detected an Akuma nearby.

"Allen?" I whisper, my whole body tensing up.

"The men at the bar," he replies before slowly getting to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Miranda whimpers.

"I see now why you're the only one this time warp doesn't affect," Allen says to her as he takes off his glove, exposing his Anti-Akuma Weaon, "It's because you are the one who's in contact with the Innocence responsible for this abnormality."

"And it's why those creatures are here," I add as the three men sitting at the bar all get to their feet in unison. Their skin peels off like wet paper falling away from tentacles, fur, claws, teeth, and bulging eyes

Miranda screams as the Akuma rear up in their true forms.

Allen and I step forward, the former's Weapon already morphed into its standard gigantic arm. Blood pours from under my cloak and morphs into a pair of gigantic blades protruding from my wrists.

"Innocence, activate!" Lenalee cries, jumping up from the table as her long dark boots glow bright blue.

One of the Akuma's spots her; snarling through a swollen mouth full of teeth, it releases a blast of energy that lights up the whole place.

Miranda shrieks, cowering in the corner, as all the windows blow out.

Allen deflects the attack with his arm, protecting me and the other two from harm. He lowers his Weapon in time for Lenalee to kick the Akuma that had fired the blast hard in the face with her Dark Boots.

Allen runs after her, knocking the Akuma back against the far wall as soon as Lenalee steps to the side.

The smallest of the three Akuma, who has three faces and long arms, makes a move to grab Miranda. My Blood curls around its arms, yanking it away and throwing it against what remains of the window.

Lenalee dodges the second largest Akuma, who has scissor blades for hands; leaping over its head and landing beside Miranda.

"Lenalee, get Miranda to safety," Allen calls as the Akuma he knocked back, who has blue skin and long pink hair, tries to smack him aside. He dodges the assault, "Cas and I will handle this."

"We'll meet up with you later," I add as Allen forms his Weapon into a gun and fires at the Akuma. The small one tries to grab at Miranda again just before Lenalee gathers her up in her arms and jumps away, fueled by her Boots.

I snag the Akuma before it can reach them and hurl it into the bar, shattering a whole row of pint glasses that splinter all across the floor.

The pink-haired Akuma makes to dive for me. I turn in time to see Allen fire a round of bullets at it, causing it to stop short.

I rush over to him just as the skull-faced one gets back up.

"All these Akuma are Level 2," he whispers to me.

"Fuck."

Scissor-Boy fires a round of glowing, crescent-shaped blades in my direction. I slice through some and jump back onto a table to avoid the rest as they slice through the legs of the furniture.

The table I'm on caves under me, and I fall hard, smacking my head on the hard wood floor.

My vision blurs as Skull-Kid pounces on Allen; it's three mouths opening wide and releasing a sonic blast.

Allen screams, dropping to his knees as he grips his ears.

"Kid!" I yell, crawling towards him.

"Augh! It feels like my head's splitting," he cries, blood trickling from between his fingers.

My own Blood coils up like a snake, splitting into three tips and each one stuffing itself into Skull-Kid's mouth, clogging up the sonic assault.

The big blue one lunges towards me from the front while Scissor-Boy rushes from the side. I snatch up Allen and jump backward several steps, trying to put distance between us and them so we can regain our bearings.

I stumble as I stagger back; Allen slips from my grasp and hits the floor.

Scissor-Boy makes a move at him, blade arm raised. Allen manages to deflect the attack and begins to joust him while the pink-haired Akuma runs at me.

A scream escapes my throat as the creature opens its huge jaws and spews out a blast of pure white fire. The flames lick at my shoulder, and I cringe at the pain barely touching my stunted nerves.

"Ice fire!" the Akuma cackles as I hit the floor, my Blood tentacles writhing around me as my body panics. "If you come into contact with it, the flesh will melt from your bones."

"Cas, you alright?" Allen manages to call to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I reply.

"The flesh will rot," Ice-Man jeers. "You want to try it?"

"Let me go," Scissor-Boy cries, "I'll slice them up."

"No, me!" interjects Skull-Kid, "I'll make their heads explode!"

"I'll slice them to pieces!"

"Their flesh will rot."

"I'll make their brains mush!"

I stagger over to Allen, gripping my shoulder as my hot Blood floods the wound. "You okay?" he asks me.

"I'll live."

"I want to burn them with ice!"

"No, I want to carve them up!"

"Let me blow up their brains!"

The three Akuma all glare at each other. Suddenly, they turne from us.

"One, two, three: rock! One, two, three: scissors! One, two, three: paper," they cry, throwing themselves into a sporadic match of Rock-Paper-Scissors and each time coming up with a tie.

Allen and I exchange a glance.

"Fuck this," I declare.

My Blood whips slice through them, followed by a barrage of Allen's bullets.

The Akuma shriek, jumping apart as they round on us.

"Are you crazy?" Skull-Kid wails. "How dare you interrupt a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors?!"

"Did you think we were just going to sit around and wait?" Allen snaps.

The Akuma snarl before lunging towards us.

I tense, my Blood whips snapping around me, and Allen raises his gun.

They're nearly on us when:

 _STOP!_

Everyone freezes, including Allen and me.

 _You three are having too much fun. Need I remind you that the mission is to search for Innocence?_

Allen and I glance around, shocked.

Where is that voice coming from?

I gape at our opponents as the Akumas' eyes glaze over.

 _Return,_ the voice commands.

The Akuma instantly snap back, but none of them pay us any more heed as they suddenly burst through the ceiling and streak out of sight, vanishing in a blast of bright pink light.

Allen and I gawk after them as the debris from the ceiling rains down around us.

"What just happened?" Allen asks.

I don't respond.

 _That voice…Where have I heard it before?_

So light and airy…Like floating on a cloud. A dream.

"Allen! Cas!"

We both jump and spin around as Lenalee races into the pub. She stops when she sees us standing amidst the mostly destroyed restaurant with no Akuma in sight.  
"Where'd they go?" she cries.

Allen shifts awkwardly. "That's a good question."

"There was this big booming voice in the sky, and then they were gone," I explain, pointing to the hole in the ceiling.

"A voice?" Lenalee doesn't sound that convinced.

I nod gravely. "Yeah, and I hate to be all ominous and stuff, but it didn't sound in the least bit friendly."

* * *

A/N: So, yeah, there it is. This is the beginning of one of my favorite arcs in the show, so I'm going to have a lot of fun with this one. I hope you enjoyed.

*kohlroulade: German cabbage rolls  
** mettbrotchen: a kind of sandwich made with raw meat on bread rolls with onion garnish


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Bad Luck Woman's Innocence

* * *

"I still don't understand," Allen exclaims as he stares at the spot the Akuma had vanished from, "Why did they stop attacking?"

"Uh, I'd rather _not_ worry about that now," I say, grabbing his hand and tugging him out of the destroyed pub, Lenalee close behind. "C'mon, let's get outta here before somebody starts to wonder why this place is missing a ceiling."

"I took Miranda back to her apartment," Lenalee says to us, "It's down this way," she adds, taking the lead.

As we turn down a side street, we hear familiar taunts and jeers as the group of boys race past us.  
"Miranda, Miranda, she's all bad luck. Full of doom, full of gloom. What a dumb and ugly duck!"

"Those kids are harsh," Allen muses.

"Yeah, I can see why Miranda's so upset," Lenalee agrees

I cringe; my hands curling into fists as I watch the boys round the corner, whooping and hollering the same wicked little chant.

 _Cas is a dyke! Cas is a dyke! She kisses girls, and she likes it!_

"Cas, come on," Allen calls to me.

"Huh?" I jerk myself from my thoughts. "Oh, right…Coming."

* * *

Miranda lives in the corner apartment on the second floor of a complex. It isn't exactly a flashy place, but it gets by in its own way. Her living quarters are a one room space consisting of a tiny kitchen nestled in one corner and bed in the other facing the window. A gigantic grandfather clock is standing against the wall to the left of the door, taking up a space on all on its own.

Miranda is sitting curled up on the floor when we enter, obviously in a panic.  
She shrieks and staggers back when she sees us. "How did you get in here?!"

Allen blinks in confusion, "Well, I… We just walked through the front door," he replies as Miranda scrambles onto her bed, sobbing loudly.

"You did leave it unlocked," I remind her.

"Oh right….DON'T YOU COME IN HERE WITHOUT KNOCKING FIRST!" Miranda screams, tearing at fistfuls of her hair.

"But we did knock," Lenalee insists, "You just didn't answer, so we let ourselves in."

Miranda doesn't respond to this, sniffing loudly as she trembles on her bed.  
"So, Miranda," Lenalee steps forward. The woman screeches loudly.

"God, just calm down," I cry, placing a hand to my throbbing temple, "We're here to help."

"Calm! How can I be calm when-" Miranda cries, sitting up straight only for a chain around her neck to suddenly fly off, and a bizarre looking key dangling from the end falls to the floor with a clatter.

The woman cries out, diving for the key only to take the whole bed with her, falling to the ground with a crash that echoes throughout the tiny apartment.

Allen jumps and grabs my arm.  
"That spooked me," he whispers.

"Just don't make any sudden movements," I hiss back.

Breathing heavily, Miranda sit up, staring dismally down at the curious little key.

"Is that key for the grandfather clock there?" Lenalee cautiously asks.

I glance towards the indicated object gently strumming away at time in a loud, booming voice.

 _Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

I raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, I know it's silly: to keep a clock key around my neck," Miranda answers Lenalee's question

I return my attention to the woman to see her gripping the clock key so tightly her knuckles are going white. My expression softens somewhat.

"No, it's not silly at all," I urge her, dropping to my knees in front of her. "It's not about the thing itself, but what it represents, right?"

Miranda slowly nods.

"I know the feeling," I then reach into my pocket and pull out my powder blue pipe. "See this? I carry this thing with my everywhere, and not just because I like a good smoke, but because someone very important to me made this pipe for me a long time ago. My girlfriend Emma crafted this for me as a present. But she died, and now this is all I have left of her. It might seem silly, but this pipe still means a lot to me."

Miranda looks at me, her expression no longer conveying fear.  
"This clock does represent something important to me," she begins. "You see, there are some people who struggle in life because they're no good at anything; when I was a child, I was always lurking in the shadows of my classmates. I just seemed a step behind everyone else."

I gasp as an image floods my vision: a little girl with messy brown hair and skinned knees falling on her face in front of a group of other kids who all howl with laughter despite her misery.

I feel such an overwhelming sense of loneliness crush my chest to the point I feel as though I can barely breathe.

"Unfortunately, the children I thought were my friends only laughed at me," Miranda continues. "As I grew up, I tried to get jobs, but I found that I couldn't do anything right. I was so horribly clumsy, and I got fired from every job I've ever had because I was utterly useless."

I saw this too: a constant cycle of hire and fire; Miranda dropping a pile of plates as they shattered to splinters across the floor.  
 _This isn't working out…I need someone I can trust…Someone dependable…I'm sorry._

"Believe it or not, no one has ever said 'thank you' to me," Miranda whispers, clutching the clock key close to her chest. "In my entire life, I've never been a help to anyone."

I can feel it: Miranda's grey, dismal world flowing into my mind. Such sadness, such loneliness, such hopelessness, such…strength. My breath hitches in my throat; no matter how many times Miranda has gotten knocked down, she's gotten right back up to try again.

She is easily one of the most remarkable women I've ever met.

I can feel Miranda's tears leak from my own eyes, so many nights spent crying alone. She looks up at me, realizing that I'm feeling in that moment what she's felt her entire life.

The first time that someone else has noticed her pain.

Miranda gapes at me, tentatively reaching out to touch my hand. "Cas…"

"Cas, what's wrong?" Lenalee cries as the tears drip down my cheeks.

"Are you feeling what Miranda's feeling?" Allen whispers.

I bite my lip and nod.

But it was the strangest thing. It wasn't like before, connecting with the Ghost of Mater for instance. Feeling that boundless sense of life kept alive like the spark of an immortal flame. This was something familiar. I _knew_ how Miranda had felt because I had felt it too as a child. Like there was only one thing in the whole world that actually gave a damn about me.

Empathy means to feel someone's emotions as your own, and here I am doing exactly that.

"G-Go on," I stammer, the tears sticking to my face. Allen reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder.

Miranda nods, fingering the clock key. "This clock represents the greatest moment of my life," she explains. I found it on a particularly bad day."

A day as grey as any other. All the forgotten and the abandoned furniture laid out in front of the old store so that the new owner could move in.

 _Hello, can I help you?_

 _Uh, I...like your clock._

 _Oh, that thing? It's a piece of junk the previous owner forgot to haul out of here before I moved in. It doesn't even work actually, the darn thing won't wind._

 _It won't wind at all?_

 _Since I won't be able to sell it, I've been thinking of throwing it away. But if you want to mess with it, go ahead and give it a shot. Who knows? You may have more luck than I've ever had._

"A useless, broken clock that nobody had ever bothered with; it was like I was looking in a mirror."

 _Wind…wind…wind…BONG!_

 _My God! You actually got it to work._

"Why did the clock accept the key from me and no one else? And the sound of the chimes…almost happy." Miranda's lower lip trembles as she speaks, "It was the first time I'd actually felt acknowledged in any way."

And then, something rather miraculous happens: Miranda Lotto smiles. "That clock is everything to me. In all the years I've been alive, it's the only thing that's really needed me."

As she glances at the clock with such fondness, I sniff loudly, wiping my runny nose on my sleeve.

"Miranda, don't forget; we also need your help," Allen reminds her.

The woman gapes at him, "You do?"

"Well, there's really no other choice," I remind her. "You're the only person in this town that isn't affected by time rewinding, and this," I place a hand to the side of my still tear-stained face, "This is proof that you are somehow connected to Innocence."

"You speak of this Innocence," Miranda whispers, "Tell me what it is."

"It's called from the God Crystal, and its power is unbelievable," Allen explains. "It's scattered throughout the world and causes strange happenings to occur wherever it is. Those monsters that attacked us in the pub were known as Akuma; they also seek the Innocence but to destroy it so we can't use it against them."

"As Exorcists, it's our job to track down Innocence as well as destroy any Akuma we come across," Lenalee adds.

"We ourselves wield Innocence as Weapons, and, as an empath, I'm able to connect with people who possess Innocence thereby detecting its location, and right now all that energy from the God Crystal is circling around you," I conclude.

Miranda shrinks back. "Is that why I've been attacked lately? But I don't think I can help you; I don't even know what this Innocence looks like."

"That's okay," Allen reassures her. "You must have come into contact with it during the original October 28th. We'll need you to help us trying and figure out when exactly that was."

Miranda closes her eyes, shaking her head vigorously. "No. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you. You're the ones with all the power, not me. I'll just hold you back from saving the town, mess everything up just like I've done since I was a girl."

"Miranda," Allen starts but the woman ignores him, anxiously scuttling away and beginning to obsessively scrub the clock.

My eyes narrow as I study the scene. "Miranda, you said you were no good at anything, right?" I say as I stride over to her.

She glances up at me, her ruddy eyes swollen and damp. "Well, now we have something that you and _only_ you can do. Shouldn't that count for something? You can finally be a help to someone."

Miranda sniffs heavily as she continues to look at me, her gaze conveying that she still didn't entirely believe me.

"Cas is right," Allen agrees. "You are the only one who can help us save your town."

* * *

The sun is just beginning to sink below the tips of the town's roofs as we make our way outside. Most of the shops are beginning to close for the night, the restaurants and pubs sing out with chorus of joyous laughter and chatter as the patrons inside celebrate their relief that another day was done (unaware of course that they had been doing the same day for over a month) as golden light spills out into the steadily darkening streets.

"I start out my morning with reading the morning newspaper," Miranda exclaims as we weave our way through the crowd, all anxiously scurrying about to get their affairs in order before the end of the day. "Then I hear my next door neighbors fight, and then I go out for my morning walk." Miranda hangs her head, "During my walk some children throw dog poo at me, and then I look for some kind of a job."

Allen, Lenalee, and I all glance about us as we walk, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing seemed at all strange, the motions of life just continued to chug and churn along with hardly a step out of place.

Miranda leads off the road to show us a notebook filled with newspaper clippings from the 'Help Wanted' section. "The trouble is that the only places that are hiring are ones I've already been fired from," Miranda explains, closing the book with a sigh.

"Is there anywhere else you go?" Lenalee urges.

"Just one: in the old shopping district."

Dusk is thick in the air as we turn the corner onto the main street we'd walked down when first entering the town. It is a lot more subdued now, and most of the store windows are dark.

Miranda pauses in front of an antique shop, her sallow face momentarily lighting up.  
"Oh, this is the place where I first saw the clock," she exclaims, rushing over to a bin sitting on the stoop outside the store. "At night, I like to go through this bin of trash," she explains as she rifles through it, eventually pulling out a stuffed black cat with a huge tear in its back so half of the fluffy white stuffy is tumbling out from between the ripped threads. "I repair what I can; I just can't ignore things that have been abandoned; it's against my very being."

Miranda than leads us back to her apartment. As we enter the cramped space, the grandfather clock is just striking seven.

"Tick…Tick…Bong," I murmur as we enter, matching the chimes of the machine.

"Did you say something?" Allen inquires of me.

"Huh? Oh, nothing."

Miranda sits down at a table in the middle of the room with her sewing kit and get to work stitching up the old stuffed cat.

"I was hoping to be alerted to something, but I came up empty," Allen whispers to Lenalee and me. "Did you fell anything, Cas?"

I shake my head. "No."

"I think the best thing to do is wait for midnight," Lenalee declares. "When the day is officially over, we might get some clue to the Innocence's whereabouts when everything resets again."

"Good idea," I agree.

"So, I guess we just wait around then."  
Dejected, Allen sits at the table next to Miranda as she continues to sew. Lenalee watches her for a time but eventually goes to the kitchen to make coffee and heat up some leftover beef stew for dinner.

I sit down on Miranda's bed, a sudden headache brimming in my brain.  
 _Jesus, I must have hit my head harder than I thought,_ I think to myself, rubbing my forehead. It felt like rhythmic pounding is beating against the inside of my skull.

Like a heartbeat, but I knew it wasn't a heartbeat because I-

The clock struck eight.

I wince, covering my ears as the chimes sing through the air.

"Are you alright, Cas?" Lenalee calls to me as she walks over with the soup and drinks.

"Just a headache," I reply through gritted teeth.

Allen gets up and comes over to me. "Is it bad?"

"Not too bad," I reply, biting my tongue to hold back a wince, "Just feel a little like someone's routinely applying a pick axe to my brain."

Allen chuckles. "Oh, is that all?" He sits down on the bed beside me.

I look at him in surprise as he holds up his hands. "Come here."  
Cautiously, I lean forward as Allen applies two fingers to each of my temples and begins to gently message them. "Mana used to do this for me when I got headaches as a kid," he whispers as I close my eyes.

It feels really good.

Eventually, I lie down on the bed with my head in Allen's lap as he continues to rub my head.

The clock continues to tick away the seconds as Miranda and Lenalee talk in low, hushed tones.

Despite the urgency of the situation, the scenario is almost peaceful, and I think at one point I actually fell asleep.

However, I can never escape the chimes of the clock as the ticking grows louder and louder, slowly calling me back into consciousness.

Tick, Tick. Bong, Bong

Around and around and around we go.

The circle is complete and now we're back at the beginning.

The circle…clockwise. The clockwise circle!

"It's the clock!" I cry, sitting bolt upright, starling Allen and making Miranda and Lenalee jump.

"What are you talking about?" Allen asks, scrambling off the bed.

"The clock," I exclaim, jumping up as well and rushing over to the device. "The clock is the Innocence! Round and round we go in an endless circle of _time_. And the noise, the pounding in my mind that was causing my headaches, it was the sound of the clock ticking in my Blood."

"Cas, are you-" Lenalee began, but stopped because, at that moment, the clock struck midnight.

"It's twelve o'clock," Allen cries.

"And so it begins," I whisper.

Miranda gasps, suddenly getting to her feet.

Allen looks at her. "Miranda?"

The woman doesn't respond; expression glazed, as though in a trance, she stiffly walks over to her bed.

"Miranda? Miranda, what's wrong?" Lenalee cries.

She still doesn't answer as she gets into bed and pulls up the covers.

"What's wrong with her?" Allen whispers.

"I don't think she can hear us," I reply as the chimes of the clock continue to sound off. I can hear them, all across town the relentless bells of time bidding farewell to the last fleeting seconds of the day.

Bong…Bong…BONG!

"Augh!" I cry out, gripping the sides of my head as I drop to my knees in the middle of the room.

"Cas!" Allen rushes over to me.

I dig my fingers into my hair, grinding my teeth as I try to fight through a feeling as though my head is splitting.

All around us, the once well-lit room suddenly goes dark and a strange, deep blue light gently wafts up from the floor.

"What's happening?" Lenalee cries.

Then images swim before our eyes. Faces, clock faces, dozens of them all scattered across the floors, wall, and ceiling, dancing through the air like snowflakes.

The chimes continue, rising in volume until they're like thunderclaps in my brain.

I bit my lip, my body shaking; Allen places a hand on my shoulder just as the two hands on the grandfather clock slowly begin to creak left. "The clocks are turning backwards."

There is a great whoosh like a million feathers flapping at once and the clocks scattered throughout the room and the apartment and the town beyond suddenly all rise into the air and fly straight towards the grandfather clock.

The wind rips through our bodies as the clocks fly around us, each one scrambling back into the one face of the grandfather clock as the hands continue to wind in reverse.

"What's happening?" Lenalee shouts over the wind.

"It's erasing everything that happened today!" Allen replies.

Then, as quickly as they came, the clocks vanish, all of them swallowed into the grandfather clock. The darkness melts away, giving way to a fresh, grey dawn of another October 28th.

Allen jaw drops open, "Its morning?"

I groan, slowly getting to my feet as I try to stave off the faint remnants of pain still reverberating through my brain.

The grandfather clock strikes seven o' clock, and I can just barely feel the faint stirrings of the new day beginning all throughout the village.

Beside us, Miranda sits up.  
"Oh no. I don't remember going to be at all," she whimpers.

Allen and Lenalee exchange a glance, their faces twin expressions of utter shock, still reeling at the sight of time itself being removed.

I finally manage to gain a proper footing as I stand up, slapping my top hat onto my head.  
"Told ya."

* * *

Lenalee sits at the table with Miranda while the other woman makes us some tea.

While they talk, Allen and I examine the clock more closely.

"How's your head?" he asks me as I lean forward to peer at the clock face: right between the minute and hour hand had been where all of October 28th had vanished to.

"Its fine," I reply before glancing at him. "How's yours?" I ask, noting Timcampy resting in his hair like a bird in a nest.

"Oh, he's fine," Allen replies dismissively.

"Thanks, by the way," I add, turning back to the clock as I watched the pendulum swiftly swing back and forth.

Allen blinks, "Huh?"

"For helping me with that headache," I reply. "Not gonna lie: you give a pretty sweet massage."

"Oh, you think so?" Allen exclaims with a grin, putting one hand on the clock to lean against it. "I don't mean to brag, but I-Augh!"

He screams as his hand and then his whole body passes clean through the clock as though it were smoke. Allen falls right through the center of the clock and is left lying on his side, half buried in the machine with his legs absurdly sticking out of the base.

I jump back in horror. "Fuck!"

"Ok, that hurt," I hear Allen's muffled voice as he shifts to sit up.

I crouch down next to his legs, which are the only thing I can see. "Are you okay? Or do you have gears sticking out of your head right now?"

"No, I passed right through it," Allen remarks, poking his head out of the pendulum door. "I didn't touch it at all."

I arch an eyebrow. "Ghost clock?"

"I dunno," Allen replies, getting to his feet so that his arms are sticking out of the sides and his head is poking out of the top.

I snicker, covering my mouth with my hand. Like that, Allen looks like he's wearing a clock dress.

He grins, sharing my amusement. "Hey, Lenalee, look!" he calls to the girl, getting her and Miranda's attention. "I'm a clock Exorcist."

"Allen!" Lenalee cries while Miranda screams.

"What have you done to my clock?!"

"Relax, I'm not even touching it," he reassures them, taking a step forward so that he's partially outside the clock.

"How did you do that?" Lenalee exclaims.

"He can pass right through it," I reply, experimentally waving my hand through the clock as well. "So can I. It's like it's not even here, like a mirage."

"Get out of my clock!" Miranda wails, rushing over to her prized possession and hugging it around the middle.

"It's alright, Miranda," Allen reassures her, stepping out of the device completely.

"Why's it letting Miranda touch it?" Lenalee observes.

"I think the clock's being selective," Allen proclaims. "Only Miranda can touch it."

"So the Innocence is activated," I declare, crossing my arm, "I was right: the clock is Innocence."

"Wait, what are you saying? That _my_ clock is the one causing time to reverse," Miranda cries before snatching a carving knife from the table and holding it like a sword. "Don't tell me that you'll destroy my only friend."

"Shit! Put that down," I cry, snatching the blade at the hilt and wrestling it away from the woman

"We're not going to destroy the clock," Lenalee tries to comfort her. "Now think hard: there has to be a reason why the Innocence has chosen to act this way. Try to remember, all the way back to the original October 28th."

Miranda drops her gaze, her eyes searching. "I remember that day because I'd been fired from a job for the hundredth time. Losing a job once is hard enough, but a hundred times is downright pathetic, and pathetic is how I felt."

I can see it: Miranda lying at the foot of the clock, drowning in booze and self-pity as she wails and sobs. _I don't think I can take this for much longer! I don't even care about my life anymore,_ tears slip from her eyes. _I wish tomorrow would never come._

 _BONG!_

"Gah!" I grip my head. Does it really have to be a _grandfather_ clock? Why not a cuckoo clock? Those are amusing.

"So that's it!" Allen cries. "You made a wish, and the Innocence allowed the clock to make it come true."

"No way!" Miranda cries, shaking her head furiously. "I was just depressed and complaining. Nothing more. I don't understand why a clock would do that anyway."

Lenalee looks thoughtful. "Is it possible…?" her voice trails off.

"What?" I ask her.

"Is it possible that Miranda is the Accommodator of the Innocence?"

Allen's eyes widen. "You think so?"

"It's possible," Lenalee replies with a shrug. "If the clock is causing this phenomena in response to Miranda's wish then the two might be synching up."

Miranda pales. "Then... _I_ could have caused all this."

"Miranda, see if you can reason with the clock and get it to stop reversing time," Allen suggests.

Miranda nods before turning to the device. "Hello, my friend," she whispers, tentatively putting her hands on the face. "Will you do me a favor and make time go back to normal again?"

As if on key, there is the sudden crinkling sound of the morning paper being shoved through the slot.

We all whirl around as it falls to the floor.

I rush over to the door and pick it up.  
"Still October 28th," I announce. "Shit."

"So, what do we do now?" Allen asks.

I look over to Miranda, whose standing rooted to the spot, sniffing loudly as fresh tears start pooling in her bleary eyes. I shove the paper into Allen's arms and walk over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder; the woman jumps at my touch as though she's forgotten we're here.

"Don't worry, Miranda," I assure her. "We'll fix this; I promise."

"Alright, guys," Lenalee then announces. "We need to think of a plan."

* * *

Eventually it is decided that our plan is to find Miranda a job; this is conceived under the basis that she had made her wish to her Innocence clock due to her state of unemployment. Thereby, Lenalee ruled, if she did get a job, the Innocence would no longer need to fulfill said wish.

Finding someone to hire Miranda was actually easier than any of us had anticipated, although the woman did mention that since everyone is unaware of the day repeating, no one would remember having fired her previously.

Nevertheless, Miranda quickly found employment training in a traveling circus of sorts. It was in town putting on a performance of _The Pumpkin and the Witch._

Miranda's job was really quite simple: she stood outside the brightly colored theater, all draped out in skeletons and jack o' lanterns for the occasion, dressed as a witch and handed out fliers or collected ticket money for hopeful patrons.

Allen, meanwhile, drew a crowd by balancing on a beach ball with a pumpkin head mask and juggles a series of balls. I can't hide my shock as I stand off to the side with Lenalee, Allen's Exorcist coat draped under one arm.

"Wow, he's really good," Lenalee exclaims, just as surprised as me.

I nod. "No kidding." Although, after seeing how Allen does his little exercise routine, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Then again, I wonder where he learned those tricks; I highly doubt Cross taught him all that.

"So, what's your stunt, huh?" Lenalee asks, nudging my arm.

I look to her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. Do you and Allen have a show together or something?"

"You speak as if he and I have known each other for a long time," I observe.

Lenalee blinks. "Don't you?"

"Oh, no. We'd only just met a few days before coming to the order," I assert. "We crossed paths by a sure stroke of luck quite frankly."

"That's funny," Lenalee muses. "I was under the impression that you two had known each other for a long time."

I laugh as Allen turns a back flip while still balancing on the ball. "Oh please, I could never do anything like that. The way I earn cash is drinking games in seedy bars or taking my finger off for some cheap thrill."

Lenalee winces at that.

"Come one, come all," Miranda calls out to the crowd of people that have gathered to watch Allen's little display, "The King Theater's new play of horror: _The Pumpkin and the Witch_ opens today! Who wants to be the first to buy a ticket?"

The crowd presses around the woman, children groping eagerly for a slip that will allow them entrance. I watch, feeling my expression soften as Miranda's pale, drawn face lights up amongst the crowd. It truly is a moment of bliss for her: small boys and girls actually smiling and cheering around her instead of laughing and jeering.

And Allen is a spectacle on his own; one could hardly take their eyes off him.

"Excellent!" the manager of the theater, who is a fat man with a long nose and bushy moustache, announces as he strides up to Miranda and Allen. "You're doing great, each of you deserves a break," he exclaims as the crowd pushes their way into the theater. "Tickets are selling like hotcakes, I tell ya," the manager continues as he turns to head in for the show, "Keep this up and there may be a full time position in it for ya."

Miranda beamed. "Really? Thank you, sir."

"Sure," the manager replies with a dismissive wave, not grasping the significance of his statement as he slips into the theater.

"Great job, Miranda," Allen exclaims, his voice echoing inside the bulbous pumpkin head, "I think you really did it this time."

"Let's hope," Miranda agrees, her smile fading, "This guy's fired me five times in the last thirty days."

"Well, I have a good feeling about this," the boy declares, removing the mask. "And just think, if you get a job you're outlook on life will be so much more positive."

"I guess, we'll see," Miranda replies quietly.

"Oh stop it, you need to believe in yourself," Allen exclaims as he sits down on a crate outside the theater door.

I turn to Lenalee beside me, "Did you get them?"

"Yeah. Here," she hands me the change from the money I lent her.

"Good," I take the paper bag from her and walk over to Allen and Miranda.

The former glances up as I approach. He grins, "Hey! Where've you two been hiding?"

"Went to get you some lunch," I reply, handing him the bag. "Sub shop down the street, my treat."

Allen's face brightens. "Really? Thanks!" he exclaims as he takes out four sandwiches and leaves a bewildered Miranda the fifth.

"You should have seen it," Lenalee gushes as Allen scarfs them down. "Cas spoke fluent German to the man behind the counter. It was awesome."

Allen momentarily pauses in his meal to eye me curiously. "You speak German, Cas?"

I shrug. "Well, yeah, I was born in Germany."

Allen gapes. "Really?"

"You don't have an accent," Miranda observes.

I smile at her. "I lost it: three years in England will do that to you."

"Well, I'm glad that everything's going so well," Lenalee declares, sitting down beside Allen. "There haven't been any signs of Akuma anywhere."

"Hush, don't jinx it," I urged her, prying off the end of Allen's third sub and stuffing it in my mouth. "I saw that you have an interesting array of moves up there, have you done this stuff before?" I then ask him.

Allen goes beet red. "I didn't know you were watching," he says quietly. "I used to work as a clown when I was growing up."

Lenalee raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, my foster father was a traveling entertainer, so he used to teach me all sorts of tricks to make money on the streets," Allen explains. "Funny thing is, I never would have thought it'd come in handy as an Exorcist."

"You've seen a lot more of the world than I have," Lenalee exclaims, shoving Allen playfully in the shoulder. "Lucky!"

Allen laughs, "Trust me; it wasn't as glamorous as you may think."

I watch the two of them, munching my sandwich thoughtfully.

"So when was it that you joined the Order?" Allen asks Lenalee.

Her expression hardens as she drops her eyes. "They found my brother and me when I was very young; my parents were killed by an Akuma," she explains.

I choked on my bread, thumping my chest as I felt a crushing weight of sadness bear down on my ribs.

"Soon after, I was recruited for the Order because they discovered I was the Accommodator for the Dark Boots," Lenalee continues and I see images, blurry like water color, of hard-faced men, men of war, leading a little girl in mint green pajamas away from the only family she had left.  
"They separated me from my brother and took me to the Order, keeping me under constant watch so I couldn't leave, but that doesn't mean I didn't try. It felt like I was serving a prison sentence the first few years."

Walls, huge dark walls closing in around me. I rub my arms as a tremor of loneliness shivers down my spine.

 _We've got to keep her restrained; her abilities are unknown._

 _Her life must be cherished; she's not an experiment!_

 _No, but she will be a powerful Exorcist._

The words of scientists, treating her like she was an object circle 'round and 'round in my head. I squeeze my eye shut and catch a glimpse of a little girl with long green hair lying strapped to a bed, her limbs aching from the leather straps as tears pool in her eyes.

 _I want to go…home._

And then there he was: like a light at the end of a tunnel.

Komui… familiar with his warm smile and wire-rimmed glasses placing a hand on her face, wiping away those tears.

 _I'm here. You're safe. I'm sorry I took so long to get here, but…It's good to see you. Don't worry; I'm going to live with you from now on. We can be a family again._

"So my brother worked his way through the ranks to Chief and moved to Headquarters to be with me," Lenalee concludes. "He's what inspired me to embrace becoming an Exorcist, reminding me the whole reason they exist in the first place."

"Having a brother or a sister, it must be nice," Allen whispers.

"Yeah," I agree, wiping my misting eyes before the tears can spill again.

Lenalee looks at me. "Oh, Cas, did you feel all that? I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," I reassure her, waving my hand dismissively. "You can't help it, and I can't shed tears of my own so it's kinda nice in a way."

Lenalee regards me incredulously. I grow uncomfortable under her gaze so I fish around in my coat for my pipe and lit a smoke as it is now dry enough for me to do so.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Cas," Lenalee says, obviously remembering when I'd mentioned Emma had made the pipe for me.

I nod, grinning through it clenched in my teeth. "What? The kiss didn't tip you off?"

Lenalee blinks. "What kiss?"

"Uh, never mind," I quickly exclaim, nearly choking on my pipe. "But yeah, I did have a girlfriend. She lived in my town in Germany with me as my neighbor. When she died, I set out to become an Exorcist as it was because of an Akuma that she'd been killed."

"I'm sorry," Lenalee whispers.

"So am I," I reply.

I glance over her shoulder to see Allen giving me a knowing look, and I flash him a reassuring smile.

"I'd forgotten," Miranda, who had gone quiet during our exchange, suddenly pipes up. "I would think that I'm the only one that's dealt with misfortune, but I guess everyone suffers with heartache in some way." She smiles softly before her expression brightens, "Alright, I'm going to get back to work!" With that, she runs back over to hand out more tickets.

"Good luck," Lenalee calls after her.

"Hey, you in the pumpkin head!" a sharp, young voice suddenly calls out, making us all jump and turn in the direction it'd come from. "I'd like to see _The Pumpkin and the Witch_ ; where can I get some tickets?"

The voice belonged to a petite young girl with a round face, pale, slightly sallow skin, big, dark eyes, and short, spikey dark blue hair. She is dressed in a frilly white blouse, a black skirt with pink and purple striped socks that matched the gigantic lollipop she's enthusiastically sucking on.

I arch an eyebrow as she eyes us slyly.  
 _Her voice sounds familiar…but I can't place it._

"Of course," Allen exclaims, jumping to his feet and ushering the girl around the tent. "The ticket booth is just over here; I'll show you."

"You numbskull!" we hear the theater manager cry as we round the corner to find Miranda lying sprawled on the ground with the very angry man standing over her. "You need eyes on the back of your head to work this job!"

"I'm so sorry, sir," Miranda whimpers.

"Oh no," I murmur, rushing over to her with Allen and Lenalee close behind.

"Miranda, what happened?" the former asks, kneeling down beside her.

"Somebody bumped into me and stole all the money," Miranda wails.

"Did you get a good look at him?" I ask.

"That's him there!" she cries, pointing across the street where I can just make out the figure of a man scrambling across the rooftops, a bulging bag clutched to his chest.

"Lenalee," Allen turns to the girl; she nods before leaping forward and propelling herself into the air after the thief.

"Hang tight. We'll catch him," Allen reassures Miranda as she sits sobbing on the ground.

"Be careful," she whispers while I grab Allen around the waist with one arm and extend a Blood whip with the other. It shoots out to wrap around the rafters of the house across the street, pulling us up onto the roof.

"This way," Lenalee calls to us, jumping down into the next street. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of the man disappearing around the corner.

"That's a side alley. There's nowhere for him to run," I call as Allen and I hit the floor and sprint after Lenalee.

We race into the narrow space to see the man pressed against the back wall, the sack of money in hand.

"Drop it," I call, holding out my Blood whip as it hardens into a spear.

Suddenly, Allen's eye activates. No sooner has it done so, that the man's skin rips apart and the Ice-Man Akuma bursts out like a twisted jack-in-the-box, eyes bulging and tongue lolling as it leers down on us.

"Oh great, it's a trap," Allen groans.

"Fooled you," the Akuma jeers, "Now, we'll be taking your Innocence."

"Fuck you!" I call back.

The Akuma laughs as its jaws open wide and a burst of white fire explodes from between its maw. The fire extends outward from its face, blanketing the entire alley in a thick layer of frigid ice, glistening like diamonds against the black pavement.

"Everything's frozen," Lenalee cries.

"Hold you ground," I call back, gritting my teeth just as I catch movement in the corner of my vision. "There's the other two," I announce as Scissor-Guy and Skull-Kid jump down from the roof behind Ice-Man.

I extend my Blood whips out and snag both of them, only realizing in hindsight how bad of an idea this was.

"Augh!" I cry out as the Akuma jump past my head, making my arms go taught as they jerk them behind my head.

"Cas!" I hear Allen call as I struggle to get my footing.

Ahead of me, Ice-Man cackles as his entire body is consumed in frigid, blue flames.  
"Got ya now!" he cries.

A gasp barely escapes my lips before my entire vision is consumed in blinding white fire.

I feel a pressure strike my chest, and fireworks go off in my skull as I'm flown off my feet. My Blood sprays around me as I lose my grip, blinded by the assault.

I regain my senses for a mere moment only to smack into the wall behind me. The blunt crack and scent of my own Blood explodes in my skull.

Everything closes in on me, and before I even hit the ground, everything goes black.

* * *

 _I'm alerted to the sound of Cas hitting the wall before I see her crumple to the cobblestones at the mouth of the alley._

 _My heart skips as beat as she lays unmoving on the ground.  
"Cas! Get up!" I hear Lenalee call._

 _The two Akuma bear down upon her, laughing and whooping at their success._

 _"Looky here, we got one," Skull-Kid exclaims gleefully._

 _"She's not moving," Scissor-Boy adds, nudging her with the tip of his blade arm._

 _"Stay away from her!" I shout, my arm transforming into a gun and preparing to fire. But I can't shoot, not unless I want to risk hitting Cas._

 _"Well?" Ice Man calls behind us._

 _Scissor-Kid turns her over._

 _C'mon Cas, wake up!_

 _Scissor-Boy presses a warped ear to her chest. "She's dead!" he announces after a pause._

 _Beside me, Lenalee gasps, and I can feel my blood run cold._

 _Cas...dead? No…No, she can't be!_

 _"You're lying!" I shout._

 _"Nope, no heartbeat," Scissor-Boy declares._

 _"Whoopee! The Exorcist is dead!" Skull-Kid exclaims, all three of his faces cackling with glee._

 _Anger flares up in me, momentarily suppressing the pain I feel crushing my lungs as the Akuma's revelation begins to skin in._

 _My arm forms back into its claw form, and I'm running towards them before I even realize my feet are moving, blinded by fury._

 _"I'LL KILL YOU!" I scream._

 _"Allen, watch out!" Lenalee calls, but her warning comes too late._

 _I stop short as I lose all feeling from below the knee. Glancing down, I see that my legs are frozen to the ground, completely immobilizing me._

 _Rage burns like fire inside me as I furiously try to break free._

 _"Got'cha!" Skull-Kid calls before blasting me with a sonic attack. I'm hit with it head on, and my brain begins to melt under the assault._

 _Liquid leaks from my eyes, and for a second, I think its blood before I realize its tears._

 _Scissor-Boy lunges forward, striking me in the chest. I hardly feel the blow; I'm beginning to go numb. The ice breaks under my legs, but I no longer have the strength to stand. I fall backward and smack into the cobblestones._

 _The last thing I see before I black out is Cas lying motionless on the ground beside me._

* * *

 _The first thing I'm aware of is the pounding of a headache in my skull, the second is a burning pain running the length of my still activated left arm._

 _My eyelids flutter as I shake my head, trying to clear it. "W-Where am I?"_

 _I open my eyes fully and lift my head as my swimming vision slowly clarifies into a bizarre display._

 _Lenalee is sitting on a throne in the middle of a dark room; she's wearing a plum-colored ball gown and her pigtails are curled elegantly; however, her body is still and her eyes glassy. Candles stripped like candy canes and with points like needles are hanging suspended in the air all around us._

 _Miranda is sitting slumped in the corner, her face obscured by shadow, and her arms draped around the base of her clock and tied in place by thick rope._

 _The three Akuma are all hovering around the throne, and a person is sitting directly beside Lenalee._

 _"You're finally awake," they exclaim followed by the snap of a gum bubble popping._

 _My eyes widen, immediately recognizing them. "You!"_

 _It's the girl from before, the one with the blue spiked hair, gently stroking Lenalee's arm with my Exorcist coat draped over her tiny frame. I try to move my arm, but the slightest gesture and bolts of pain shot through the weapon and shock my whole body. I jerk my head to see that the gigantic limb is bolted to the wall by several large nails._

 _I turn back to the girl. "Who are you? What have you done to Lenalee?"_

 _"Road has made her into her doll," Ice-Man announces smugly._

 _"So, you're Road?" I whisper to the girl._

 _She smiles_

 _Why can't I see you? I feel the faint burn of my left eye activating, scanning for any trace of a tethered soul but I find none. Road is completely alone in her own form._

 _"You're not an Akuma…Tell me, what are you?"_

 _"I'm just a human being," Road replies simply. "Is there something wrong with a human befriending an Akuma?"_

 _A human…? No, she can't be._

 _"Yes, there is," I cry. "Akuma are weapons created by the Millennium Ear to murder humans."_

 _I feel panic quaking in the pit of my stomach, my whole body trembles with a sensation of unfamiliar foreboding. Who is this girl? Why does she make me feel like this? Like there's a weight crushing my heart…_

 _Miranda and her clock have been captured._

 _Lenalee's unresponsive._

 _I'm bolted to the wall_

 _And Cas…_

 _I flash back to the image of her lying lifeless on the pavement._

 _Cas is dead._

 _"Weapons also exist for humans to kill other humans, do they not?" the girl replies simply. "The Millennium Earl is our brother and our savior." As Road speaks, something horrifying begins to happen to the girl's form._

 _Her skin slowly darkens to a deep silver-black, almost as though the darkness around us is slowly pooling into her veins. Her eyes become a brilliant gold and a pattern of odd black markings slice open across her forehead: a series of inverted crosses._

 _As she stands there, I look at her and feel like all the air is being sucked from my lungs, like I'm staring into a void._

 _"You see, we are the chosen ones," Road continues. "The true apostles hand-picked by God himself. I am Road, and I am in the Family of Noah."_


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: HOLY SHIT YOU GUYS I JUST FOUND OUT YESTERDAY THAT D GRAY MAN IS GETTING A NEW ANIME THIS YEAR THE ALMA KARMA ARC IS GOING TO BE ANIMATED OMG!

Can you tell I'm excited?

* * *

Chapter 11: Miranda Lotto's Feelings

* * *

 _This fear…It's been a long time since I've been this afraid, the last time probably being when Mana had died, and I'd attempted to resurrect him._

 _This terror…It stems from my confusion. What is this tiny creature before me: this girl with golden eyes and the mark of the Devil burned into her forehead?_

 _I gasp, hardly able to breath; my left arm is numb from shoulder to wrist. The bolts that hold me to the wall send flashes of white-hot pain through my mind._

 _I'm in so much agony that my vision begins to blur in and out of focus; through the haze, I catch a glimpse of Miranda sobbing and trembling, lashed to her clock, and Lenalee sitting motionless in her chair._

 _I turn my attention back to the girl called Road._

 _She's still wearing that haunted smirk, plastered in a sinister fashion across her newly darkened lips, the shadows from her candles dance across her twisted expression._

 _"You Exorcists think your Black Order is so powerful, don't you?" Road sneers, "I did too; well, until we came along."_

 _I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to clear the pain. I reopen them and fix Road with a hard stare. "The Family of Noah?" I whisper, "And you're not Akuma, but…human?"_

 _I feel the sting of my left eye activating again, desperately scanning the void for any signs of tethered, rotting souls._

 _One…two…three, it counts the souls of the three Akuma slinking about in the shadows behind Road, and yet her aura remains bare._

 _My heart is hammering against my ribs so hard I feel as though it might burs through my chest. The fear burns like acid in my throat. How can this…How can this be?_

 _"Shhh! Quiet, Road_ Lero _!" snaps a frilly pink umbrella with a tiny jack-o-lantern at its point. "You should know it's forbidden to tell strangers all of our secrets."_

 _Road regards the umbrella with a look of confusion. "Oh? And why is that?" she asks, tilting her head to the side._

 _"You just can't do that!" the umbrella insists, "The Earl is near finalizing his ultimate plan, which means you can only take the Innocence, fighting this Exorcists wasn't discussed! Not only did you smuggle me out without asking, you've been making too many decisions on your own. You're recklessness is going to get us a spanking, and I hate being spanked."_

 _"Lord Millennium would never disgrace me with a spanking," Road asserts as she sits down on the arm of the chair Lenalee is sitting in, lovingly stroking the folds of my Exorcist coat draped around her shoulders. "Lero, you need to calm down," she adds to the umbrella, "This little game is all in the name of fun. Believe me, this show I've put on will not interfere with his plans."_

 _I detect a dark under tone to Road's voice as she turns her eyes back towards me. I feel like the air is being sucked out from my lungs, my whole body constricted by horror and pain._

 _My thoughts pound violently in my skull_

 _The Family of Noah_

 _The Millennium Earl's 'ultimate plan'_

 _A game for fun_

 _I grit my teeth, trying to beat back the fear constricting my body. My whole body goes rigid as I struggle to regain my composure, concentrating it in its entirety to my single bound limb. I squeeze my eyes shut as electric shocks of pain streak through my system; I cry out as I begin to try and wrench my left arm free._

 _It begins to give and the bolts dig deeper, I scream as the pain climaxes, only seeing to make me pull harder, and then the whole thing gives way in a shower of dust and plaster._

 _My overly large arm drops to my side as I slump against the wall, now with a huge chunk missing, panting heavily. Wisps of pale steam rise up from the blackened, circular wounds the bolts have made in the grey flesh of my Anti-Akuma Weapon._

 _Road's eyes widen._

 _I raise my eyes to meet them. "Why would a human…" I gasp, the pain still swimming in my system as the wall behind me crumbles away, revealing nothing but a dense purple fog. "Tell me," my voice trembles, heavy with pain and rage._

 _The girl doesn't respond, she just begins slowly walking over to me, my coat trailing behind her like a cap. "What are you so angry for?"_

 _Behind her, Miranda gasps as Road crouches down in front of me; she is so close I can count the inverted scars marring her forehead. "You don't believe I'm human, I can see it in your eyes," she declares smugly._

 _Before I can respond, she leans forward and wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her body up against mine._

 _I feel my breath hitch in my throat, hearing my heart hammering in my chest, but I can detect the sound of a second heart beating right alongside it.  
"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Road whispers in my ear, "This is how it's supposed to feel when two humans embrace." I gasp, her words echoing in my skull._

 _Human…no_

 _She can't be. She can't be human!_

 _"My name is Road Kamelot, and I'm a proud member of the human race."_

 _But why?_

 _Why would a human side with Akuma, creatures who only exist to kill us all._

 _My left hand trembles; despite the pain, the urge to kill is burning through it._

 _I grind my teeth. "You're hiding something from me," I whisper, my voice trembling. "Aren't you?"_

 _Finally, I can't take it anymore._

 _My arms rises up, despite an explosion of pain upon doing so. The gigantic white claw curls around Road, casting a shadow across her body, preparing to strike._

 _However, I cannot bring myself to delve the final blow, something inside me holds me back._

 _Suddenly, Road grabs my arm herself and brings it down on her head. Before I can even process what's happening, the girl falls backward, her head nothing but a flurry of smoke as she collapses to the floor._

 _I stare in shock._

 _"She…She killed herself."_

* * *

My eyes snap open, I sit bolt upright as a surge of pain explodes in a torrent throughout my body.  
"Holy balls, I _felt_ that!"

It takes a few seconds for me to remember what happened; there is a pounding in my head as loud as a thunder, and twin streams of blood trickle down from my forehead and lips.

Then, awareness of my situation comes rushing back almost as fast as I'd hit that wall.

"Allen! Lenalee!" I jump to my feet and whip my head from side to side, my wet hair slaps against my sore neck. I look down to see that my clothes are equally soaked, clinging to my body like a soggy tissue. The alleyway is coated in frigid water, dripping down the cold cobblestones and pooling in the gutters.

"Where'd everyone go?" I wonder aloud. "The ice has all melted. How long was I out?"

I grit my teeth as I look about me, my hands curling into fists. The people on the street beyond the alley continue on their way, oblivious to the battle that had ensued here or to the soaked bisexual standing amidst the carnage, covered in blood and street refuse.

"Well, the town's still standing, so that's something at least," I muse to myself, stepping back out into the grey street. One glance at the pale sun slowly beginning to sink behind the rooftops tells me it is early evening.

Without another word, I take off running.

* * *

 _I have to get back to Miranda's apartment…I might already be too late, but if the Akuma have the Innocence, then I'll have nothing to bargain with for Lenalee and Allen. They most certainly have them…They wouldn't just leave me there otherwise. What happened after I blacked out…?_

These thoughts circle around in my mind as I tear through the streets of the Rewinding Town and eventually arrive at Miranda's apartment complex. I sprint up the steps and throw open the door to the cramped space only to bear witness to a sight that made me feel like my heart had dropped into my stomach.

The first thing I see as I walk into the room is that the spot where Miranda's Innocence clock had once stood is now empty and in its space, splattered across the wall in a paint as red as blood is a sinister message:

 _Fuck You Exorcists! I Have Your Innocence HA HA HA!_

Rage flares up inside me before I've even finished reading the message; I cross the room in two strides and slam my fist against the wall, beating it out of helpless frustration.

"What am I supposed to do?" I snarl through clenched teeth, pounding my now paint-smeared hand against the wall a second time. The Akuma have the Innocence and my comrades, and I didn't have any idea where-

 _What was that?_

My head snaps up as, whether by my ears or merely my empathy, a very familiar cry splits through the haze of my thoughts.

"Allen!" I yell, immediately going back to pounding against the wall. My fist tingles with slight pain as I repeatedly beat at the plaster, pulling back momentarily only to wind up for a large impact that shakes the entire half of the building.

This does it: a huge chunk of the wall comes way beneath my fist, falling away to reveal a haze of some kind of deep purple smoke.

I stare at it, mesmerized, as I slowly reach out to tenderly brush my fingers against it. An electric shock shoots up my arm, and I leap back in surprise as a familiar sensation fills my mind. I'm suddenly lost in a haze, floating as though on a fog, swallowed by dreams that are not my own.

Although, I'm used to such as sensation, I momentarily lose myself within it, before Allen's voice snaps me out of it.

 _Cas._

I don't hear him; I feel him, calling out to me from the other side of the veil; I feel his pain, his confusion, his agony. My eyes snap open as the fog dissipates, and I'm left with an alarming clarity.

I return my attention to the large sliver in the wall I'd opened up; it stares at me like a gaping wound. It's not that big: an advanced escape artist might not be able to make it through there, and I'm no escape artist.

But I have to try to get through it.  
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and unfurl my throbbing fists. I slowly retreat into myself, concentrating all of my attention on the blood rushing through my body like a turbulent river.

My eyes snap open, and I take off running.

I don't really remember much of what happened after that, but it felt like my entire body was suddenly consumed in an eruption of pure lightning, my whole body lit up in white hot pain, not nearly as intense as it might have been but it ricocheted around beneath my skin and left me twisting and writhing, twisted in discomfort.

As quickly as it'd come, it vanished once more and I was left bursting back into clarity, into a darkness lit only by suspended candles.

I access the situation fairly quickly: Allen is on the floor, there is what appears to be a headless corpse lying beside him.

Suddenly, the arm of the cadaver shoots out and snatches at Allen's collar. He recoils in horror as the eroded face of a young girl with blue, spiked hair shoves her shriveled, raw, burned, and blackened face before his.

"I'm superior to you in every way; we are super humans, who have inherited the DNA of Noah, mankind's greatest apostle. So, we're not much alike at all." As she speaks, the girl's skin reforms across her raw face, returning it to a dark brown-grey palate with gleaming gold eyes. "You are what we refer to as 'sub-human."

SMACK!

My hand snatches at the girl before she can utter another word; I close my fist around the collar of Allen's Exorcist coat that she has draped around her shoulders. "Okay, there's a line," I pause to throw her backwards, flying back towards, "And you just crossed it."

I then step fully into the black room, passing through the void and coming back into myself, standing beside Allen, the wall to my back. Before me, an unresponsive Lenalee sits in a chair, a sobbing and whimpering Miranda is lashed to her clock in the corner, dozens of spiked candy cane stripped candles hover in the air along with a handful of dolls, teddy bears, and brightly colored presents.

The three Akuma from before are also there; their bulging eyes growing even bigger as they look at me.

The girl straightens up, her gaze murderous as she fixes her golden eyes on me. "Where'd you come from?"

"Cas!" Allen cries before I can respond. I turn to see him looking up at me, his face nothing but pure shock.

I gawk down at him, he looks awful. His clothes are torn to bits, he's covered in bruises and scorch marks, and there are several gaping wounds in his Anti-Akuma Weapon.  
"Kid, what happened to you?" I cry, dropping to my knees in front of him and leaning closer to inspect his injuries.

My fellow Exorcist ignores my question; he reaches up to tenderly touch the side of my face, as though I might suddenly disappear.  
"You're alive…" his voice reflects his relief, his grey eyes shining as I raise mine to meet them. "But how? They said your heart had stopped beating."

My mouth parts slightly. "What?"

"So, you managed to survive after all?" I whip my head around to see the girl watching our every move. "How annoying, and my Akuma had said you'd been killed," she adds, glaring at the Akuma flanking her.

"We're sorry Road," Ice-Man cries, "Her heart had stopped, that usually means a human is dead, doesn't it?"

Road's eyes darken. "Maybe you ought to be a bit more thorough next time, and why exactly did you leave her lying in the street? Why didn't you take her Innocence while you had the chance?"

The Akuma recoil, faltering under the look she's giving them.  
"We're sorry! Please forgive us, Mistress Road."

I blink. "Road? Wait…" My eyes widen as my mind fills with recognition, "You're that kid from the performance tent, aren't you!"  
It all makes sense now: she was the girl who had deterred us away from Miranda, so that her tickets could be stolen. It had all been a ploy. And yet, there's something else. I continue to stare at the girl called Road, feeling something almost like waves of some kind of rotting energy rolling towards me. Whatever it is, it makes me sick to my stomach. "Who are you?"

"She's human, Cas." Allen weakly calls from beside me.

I glance down at him. "What?"

"She's a human…who's sided with the Akuma."

My mouth falls open; I turn back to Road. "Are you insane? Why would you...?"

Road just laughs.

I scowl. "Human or not, I can't allow this to continue," I tighten my stance and square my shoulders, fixing Road with a determined glare.

She smiles smugly. "Oh? And who's going to stop me? You?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," I reply as my Blood explodes out from my body in a tangled mess of tendrils. I curl them towards Road and am about to strike, but before I can do so, Road raises her hand and all of the needle-point candles hovering around us suddenly turn their sharpened ends towards us and fly right at Allen and me.

A gasp barely leaves my lips as the candles rocket towards us like bullets. At least a dozen strike at my body, burying deep into my limbs and chest. I let out a strangled cry as I'm thrown backward, the candles dancing around me as I hit the wall; they pin me down as still more stick all around my head like darts on a board.

Several fly straight towards Allen, sticking at his feet, besides his arm, several landing close to his head. He can barely move. I turn my head, about to yell at him to duck, but I'm too late as one of Road's candles hits its mark.

I feel Allen's pain explode across our empathic link as the boy let's out a blood curdling scream. Miranda cries out in horror as I jerk my head to the side despite the barrage of flaming needles pinning me down.

"Kid!" I yell as Allen's head droops, his hand shooting up to cover his face as his left eye gushes with thick, dark blood. The familiar scent of it twinges my nostrils as the now doused candle falls to the floor with a clatter and slowly rolls away.

Road bends down, plucking the sharpened wax from the ground; smiling wickedly, she licks the blood from the tip.

I look at Allen, hunched over on the ground with his hand clasped over his injured left eye, gushing blood, whimpering in pain.

"You…" I jerk my head back to Road, "You little…bitch!" I shriek before lunging my body forward, ripping my skin clean through the candles pinning me down, the pain drifts away behind me as I lunge at the girl.

She easily sidesteps me as I throw a punch. I grunt in exertion as I stagger forward, preparing to pivot back around as my Blood flows all around me. I've barely regained my footing to turn on my heel when Road dives forward and stabs the candle in her hand into the point where shoulder meets my neck.

"Cas!" Miranda cries as I gag, a torrent of Blood sloshing from my mouth. I hit the ground hard, a groan escaping my lips as more Blood pools around my prone form.

Road cackles gleefully, jamming her foot into my lower back. "Killing you is no different than snapping off a tree branch or stepping on an ant," she declares, pressing her heel down into my abdomen. I groan, my mind distant as my Blood scrambles to close up the wound. "I hate this world because it has become full of sub-humans like you," Road continues, "So He says we must eliminate each and every one of you."

She slams her foot down harder into my back. I hear something snap. I jerk my head, "Aah!"

"And while we're on the subject: God would also like to see your kind cast into the pit of fire. Why do you think he gave us Akuma in the first place?"

"Y-You're wrong," Allen hisses, still gripping his eye with one hand as he staggers to his feet, "That isn't God's will. It's just your own."

Road smiles smugly, bouncing her thick soled foot against the base of my spine. I groan again, feeling bruises peppering my tender flesh; my Blood churns.

Allen clenches his jaw. "Now, why don't you get away from her right now, before I give _you_ something to scream about!" In a flash, he raises his arm and it becomes consumed in Innocence, reforming into its flaming gun form. "You hear me?"

Road shakes her head, her expression patronizing. "Go ahead, try to kill me." As she speaks, I feel the pressure of her foot against my back suddenly lifted. Before I can react, she's grabbing me by the shoulders and hoisting me to my knees with far more strength then I would have thought her tiny form could have mustered.  
I gasp, jerking my useless body weakly as Road props me up against her chest, supporting my hips with one hand and tenderly stroking my hair with the other. "Let's see how good your aim is," she adds, resting her cheek against my head.

Allen tenses, his form trembling as he continues to point his Weapon at me and Road. His eyes widen as they meet mine. "C-Cas…"

I smile weakly. "Go ahead, kid. Blow her away."

Allen looks horrified. "N-No! Cas, I-"

"Do it," I urge. "If it means finishing her off, then what's it matter if I die?"

Road chuckles. "Well, aren't you the noble one," she leans in close to me before turning back to Allen. "Catch."

Without warning, she then shoves me forward. I cry out in shock, stumbling several steps as Allen lunges forward to catch me. "Cas, you alright?"

"Not really," I reply grimly.

From behind me, the Akuma suddenly lunge towards us.

"Cas!" Allen cries, and I struggle to turn around as Ice Man bears down on us.

"Ice Fire!"

A blast of burning frost consumes my form, sending me flying backwards into the wall. Allen tries to run to me, but Scissor-Boy slashes at the air between us, cutting him off and knocking him to the ground.

"Kid!" I struggle to stand, barely rising before Skull-Kid's sonic waves slam into mine and Allen's ears. We both crumple to the ground, buckling under the assault on our ears.

Through the fireworks, I catch a glimpse of Road throwing off Allen's Exorcist coat and slowly walking over to Miranda.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to attack," she declares, raising her arm and summoning more candle darts.

Miranda whimpers, her dark eyes overflowing with tears. "Please…don't."

"Road!" I thunder, lunging forward as I dodge the Akumas' attacks, my Blood striking out to wrap around the girl, but my tendrils encircle her form too late as the candles are sent hurtling straight towards the helpless woman.  
"Miranda!" I cry as the woman screams in fright, and I hear the sound of impact as the candles descend on her and her clock. I feel an explosion of pain in my mind that almost knocks me out. I stagger where I stand, my vision slipping in and out of focus.

I'm not even able to regain my composure when Road suddenly gets a hand free and, snatching at the end of my Blood tentacle and whips it across the room, dragging me with it. I hit the ground hard and roll over onto my side. I feel something else crunch, confirming that several ribs are now either bruised or broken.

However, as I slowly raise myself into a sitting position, the sight I behold immediately makes me forget about my own injuries.

"Allen!" Miranda shrieks as I see that the boy has thrown himself in front of Miranda, his gigantic Weapon having blocked most of the attacks: the candles now protruding from the large limb like a collection of splinters. The rest of the tiny spears are poking out from puncture wounds all over his body.

His shirt is drenched in crimson, and my nose is filled with the aroma of his freshly spilled blood.

"Allen!" his name rips through my chest as I rise to my feet and stagger several steps, images of red water and destruction and a single boy exploding into blood are running through my mind as I stumble over to him and Miranda.

 _This can't be it…This can't be the dream…Not now!_

"Allen?" Miranda asks gingerly.

With great effort, he slowly lifts his head. "Don't move, okay?" he whispers before slowly raising his arm and tearing the ropes that had bound Miranda to her clock to shreds. As they fall away around her, the frantic woman scrambles away to cower against the wall in fear.

I make it over to Allen as he slumps against the clock, his whole body as limp as a rag doll's.

"Allen!" I call again, dropping to my knees in front of him, a trickle of red slides down my vision, noting me of a bleeding forehead as I reach forward and pull Allen towards me. "Kid, come on."

Allen's face twitches, he cracks an eye. "C-Cas?" his grey irises shine with unshed tears, his entire body convulsing in pain. If I didn't help him, he could go into shock.

But my own injuries prevented me from doing anything. I could heal others if I myself were uninjured. That's the way it works.

Frustration burns within me with an intensity I haven't felt in years. Allen's head slumps against my chest, his shallow breathing sharp in my ears, and this emotion is replaced by a far heavier notion.

Fear. It crushes against my chest and makes it difficult to breath. I can feel it: Allen's life force slipping away like grains of sand between my fingers.

I squeeze my eye shut and will my pounding Blood to heed to my commands, but it does nothing for my demands.

"C-Cas," Allen's voice trembles and his chest heaves.

"Kid, please, don't do this to me," I almost beg, tightening my arms around him as I fist my fingers in his powder white hair. "Don't die. You hear me?" I snap, my eyes stinging with tears I can't shed "I can die; that's fine. That's just fine, but you can't. Are you listening? Don't-"

Allen's fingers unfurl from their grip against my cloak, his arms falling limp at my sides.

 _Don't do this to me, please. Don't do this to me, Emma_

"C-Cas, I'm going to be fine."

"Don't you lie to me!" I holler as Allen's starts choking, his coughs raw against my wet shirt. "Don't you fucking lie to me, Allen Walker. And don't' think for a fucking minute you're giving up and dying on me, do you understand?"

Allen chuckles. "I really like you, Cas. You know that?"

"Allen, don't' die!" Miranda calls. "Please, stay strong."

"M-Miranda," Allen's voice trembles. I tighten my grip and bury my face in his hair, the helplessness burning through me like fire in my veins.

 _Why can't I heal him?_

 _The bruises are fine; the sprained pelvis manageable, the splintered ribs insignificant. Damn it, Blood; heal him!_

And then suddenly, Miranda is there. She has rushed back over to us, her long arms are wrapped around us both, holding us together as our blood pools in my lap. She's trembling, her shoulders shaking as hot tears spill down her cheeks.

"You know you can't save them," Road calls over to her. "What are you doing?"

Anger mixes with my own frustration, and I want to constrict my Blood tendrils around Road's form and squeeze her until she pops, but it's all I can do to will my trembling limbs to keep me upright. I'm not even sure I can properly walk.

"She's nuts; the woman has lost her mind," Ice-Man declares of Miranda. "What's she think she's doing? Being a meat shield?"

"Look at how pathetic she is," Scissor-Boy agrees.

"Y-Yes," Miranda breathes, a miserable smile forming on her lips as she stares the three Akuma and Road down. "T-That's right. I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

"What a great choice of words," Road muses. "But I suppose you're no more pathetic then any other weak sub-human who awaits their death."

"But I'm-," Miranda hiccups a sob, "-Giving comfort, and u-understanding."

Road shakes her head. "Idiot."

She then raises her hand once more and more candles come at her call.

I fell my Blood run cold at the sight of them; I try to will myself to stand, but I can't seem to find the strength, whether through my own injuries or the crushing weight of Allen dying in my arms with me having nothing to show for it.

"That's right. I am an idiot," Miranda whispers.

"No, you're not," I reply quietly, causing the other woman to turn and look at me in shock. I meet her eyes just as a thin trickle of Blood runs down my cheek, "You don't give up. You never gave up. Any normal, weak person would have given in to their shortcomings long ago, but you never dead. It's not in your nature to submit is it?"

Miranda looks at me, her teary eyes gleaming in the candlelight.

"You don't give up when others have. People like…People like me. I gave up a long time ago."

Miranda sighs, dropping her eyes. "I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment."

I laugh grimly, in spite of everything. "Maybe with both are." I then reach forward and curl my fingers around her own, squeezing them tightly in my first, "But never, under any circumstances, is Miranda Lotto an idiot," I declare.

She raises her eyes back to me, a single, shining tear falling from her cheek and alighting on the ground between us.

It falls with no sound but what follows in an eruption of noise and light. The clock beside us strikes a chord with an alarming impact and everything is consumed in a golden light that assaults every sense of my being in an overload of emotion that coats the entire space. I can feel it, a bubble of warmth blooming at the central point and slowly expanding outward.

The wind is violent, stinging my eyes. I bury my face in Allen's hair as I feel the bubble continue to grow, erupting forward and consuming everything it touches in that same pure feeling. I suddenly don't feel angry, helpless, or scared.

I only feel…warm. Like coming in to a hearth and fire after a long winter's day.

The sound of the clock striking echoes in my ears as does Miranda's thoughts, churning all around me like paper in a storm.

 _What's happening? I can feel a…presence._

 _Tick_

 _Tick_

 _BONG!_

 _My clock…It's…Innocence._

The light ruptures outward, almost burning my face, and I feel as if I had my eyes open, I might have been blinded. So, I just continue to hang on to Allen, feeling weightless and detached, like nothing that's happened, happening, or is going to happen ever really mattered, feeling it all slowly slipping way, leaving nothing behind but a pure, blank, peace.

Slipping away, everything's slipping away.

I dare to reopen my eyes and immediately have to slam them shut again when there are bombarded with a golden light. Trying again, I crack a lid to find that the light swarming all around us is emanating from a large dome that has completely encircled my immediate area. Allen, Miranda, and I are enclosed inside the space, bathed in the strange golden light of the clock with Road, the Akuma, and everything else cut off and banished to the other side.

I turn my attention to Miranda, and my mouth falls open in shock. She's kneeling before me with her eyes raised skyward, her arms open and raised as the light flows around her. Her dark hair has come loose from its bun and whips about her in the storm. And from the light, images dance through the air, the face of a clock, winding back as the two hands circle the wrong way around the numbers. The clocks drift around us like fireflies, hovering over Miranda before slowly seeping into her skin.

I cry out in shock, but the other woman seems unfazed. The clocks encircle Allen and me; I recoil slightly, unsure as my grip tightens around the semi-conscious boy, but the warm continues to unfold within me, and I eventually relent, allowing the clocks to phase into Allen's skin as well as my own.

Upon doing so, I'm shocked to see Allen's wounds suddenly closed up, the skin is left clean and fresh, not scared over and raw like it is when I heal. No, there is no remnants of the injury at all, as though it was never there to begin with.

As I look on, I feel the clocks bubble around my skin, slowly slipping under my body and setting my Blood to work. It's a rapid acceleration. I don't even have time to form a thought before all my injuries vanish as well, leaving no trace behind.

But it's not just the wounds that heal, tears and slashes in Allen's and my shirts are also repaired, traces of dirt and debris that have gathered in our hair are removed, dents in the walls and floor are closed up.

Everything returns to as it had been before.

Resting on my lap, Allen's eyes suddenly snap open.

"Kid!" I exclaim.

Miranda looks down at him. "Allen, are you okay?"

He smiles. "I guess you're an Innocence Accommodator after all."

Miranda blinks in astonishment. "An Accommodator?"

I nod, squeezing her shoulder. "That's right."

"I think all my injuries have healed," Allen adds, slowly sitting up as he runs his fingers across his arms and chest, searching for any trace of the wounds.

I watch him; suddenly overwhelmed, I lunge forward and throw my arms around his neck. Allen, slightly startled, tenses up as I bury my face in his shoulder.  
"Jesus Christ, kid. Don't do that to me," I hiss in his ear.

"Cas?" he asks uncertainly.

"Shit," I quickly release him, feeling my perpetually flushed cheeks redden still further. "Sorry. It's just…Fuck, I thought I'd lost you."

Allen smiles slightly. "So did I…before," he looks at me. "How did you survive that?"

Before I can respond, Miranda suddenly interjects. "What about the Akuma? And that girl? Do you suppose they can get in here?"

I glance up at the ceiling, the dome has become a pattern of clock tiles, all linked together by the golden light as they wind round and round together.

"I don't think so," I reply. "Akuma's greatest weakness is Innocence after all."

"But what about Lenalee?" Miranda adds.

Allen and I exchange a glance. "Hang on," the latter replies as he slowly gets to his feet.

"Careful," I urge him.

He flashes me a smile. "Don't worry; I'm fine." There is a suddenly flash of pale green light as Allen's arm reactivates; now fully healed of its injuries, the gigantic silver claw is thrust outward, extending like a rubber band as it passes easily through the clock barrier before quickly retracting again, now with the chair and Lenalee clasped tightly in its fist.

Allen gently rests the chair in the middle of the dome. Lenalee rests slumped on the throne, form limp and eyes glassy.  
"Lenalee?" he crouches down in front of her. "Lenalee, can you hear me?"

"Want me to take care of it?" I offer, pulling off one of my gloves.

Allen shakes his head. "I don't think you need to."

"Are you sure she's alive?" Miranda whispers.

I crouch down beside Allen, taking Lenalee's wrist in my palm, feeling a pulse. "Yeah, she's alive," I reply, "I think she's just in a daze, most like temporary nerve damage caused by that sonic Akuma's attack."

"But how can she be okay after something like that?" Miranda cries.

No sooner had she said this that Lenalee's form is consumed in the same golden light as the clock bubbles encircle her still form.

"Don't worry," Allen reassures Miranda, "As long as she's in here; she'll be safe."

"Hey!" I suddenly cry as Lenalee blinks and raises her head.

"What the-?"

I grin. "Hey, Legs; welcome back."

"Cas?"

"Lenalee!" Miranda exclaims gleefully.

Lenalee shifts uncomfortably, still slightly dazed as a tiny flash of gold suddenly burrows out from her sleeve in a flurry of feathers.

Allen beams. "Timcampy! I didn't know you were here, buddy," he says as the Golem circles around us.

"What's happened?"

I turn back to Lenalee. "You remember anything?" I ask.

She looks thoughtful. "I think I remember…dreaming."

"About what?" Allen inquires.

"It was my past, I think," Lenalee replies, "But I can't remember any details."

"I wonder if your dream was siphoned off too," Allen muses.

"What does that mean?" Miranda asks.

"Do you still not see what happened?" I ask her. "The Innocence that is coursing through your veins has saved all of our lives, Miranda."

Miranda's eyes widen, her mouth parting slightly. "What? You're joking…Aren't you?"

Allen chuckles. "I know it's probably hard to believe, but think about it: when you activated the Innocence inside you, it reset time to before we got hurt." He gestures to the clocks all turning backwards as they hover over us.

Miranda gapes, growing weak at the knees as she falls to the ground, gazing up at the clocks encircling our heads. "So I really have…Innocence in me?"

"Yep, and it's because of you that we're all still alive," I declare.

"So, thank you," Allen adds.

Miranda gawks at him. "You're thanking me?"

"From me too," Lenalee agrees. "Thank you."

"Same here," I conclude. "Thanks a million."

Miranda stares at us in utter disbelief. "I can't believe it," she whispers as tears start streaming down her face; although these are not the same tears of misery from before, these were new tears, bright tears.

Allen, Lenalee, and I all smile warmly, however our expressions harden as a heavy shadow suddenly passes over our heads.

Raising our eyes skyward, we catch sight of four shapes prowling around the clock dome. "We should probably take care of that," I observe.

My two fellow Exorcists nod in agreement.  
"Innocence, activate!" Lenalee commands as her skirt flies up to reveal her Dark Boots, now consumed in a deep green glow. She then propels herself into the air, guided by the force of her Weapon. Kicking her legs out as she turns a spin, a torrent of violent window suddenly churns out from her feet in a violent cyclone, smashing through our barrier and striking at the three larger shapes.

From beyond the wall of clocks, I can hear them shrieking.

"The wind, it's hurting me!"

"I think it's coming from Road's doll."

"I can't see!"

Lenalee jumps back up and strikes again, aiming at the smallest of the shapes, undoubtedly Road, but she easily sidesteps it as the tornado crashes into the wall behind her.

But that doesn't deter Lenalee as she continues to strike at the Akuma, hitting them again and again with wave after wave.

"Amazing," Miranda breathes.

Allen places a hand on her shoulder, "Just stay put," he reassures her when she turns to look at him.

I nod. "We'll take it from here."

As I speak, my blood gushes out from under my sleeves in twin waterfalls that coat my wrists.

"Allen!" Lenalee calls.

"Right!" Allen's arm is consumed in Innocence as he rushes forward, his body being swept up in Lenalee's next attack and his hurtled through the barrier directly into the Akuma.

I rush forward and slam my Blood-coated fists into the ground. The liquid explodes outward form the impact, rushing along like a churning river as it slips under the dome, rising upward and hardening into spikes that strike at the Akuma who all shriek in pain.

I then jump through the barrier, passing through as easily as if it were smoke and join Allen in the flurry of wind caused by Lenalee's Weapon.

The Akuma flounder around inside storm, screeching in pain and confusion.

"Where are you, filthy Exorcists?" Skull kid snarls.

"Right here!" Allen calls back, alighting on its head as his arm form into a gun.

The Akuma screams as his form in consumed in the light of the attack, and his body crumbles to dust.

"I'll get you," Ice-Man thunders as he and Scissor-Boy attack Allen from both sides.

On the gronud, two gigantic spikes of blood form on my arms; I raise them above my head and fire the assault, both spikes striking the Akuma in the face and pushing them back just as Lenalee leaps into view, snatching Allen's arm and tugging him out of harm's way.

They alight on the ground beside me. I straighten up, allowing more blood to pour from my skin and form my signature snapping tentacles that encircle me and my friends. Lenalee's boots gleam with power as her wind churns around us and Allen's gun glows with another waiting attack.

We all turn toward Road who's standing a short distance away, hovering on the pink umbrella known as Lero, fixing us with an unreadable expression.

I grit my teeth as Allen addresses her.

"Alright, Road; it's your move."

* * *

A/N: Just a quick clear up: At the beginning of the chapter, when Cas says she 'felt' that she was not referring to when Road cut her head off, she was referring to when she hit the wall in the previous chapter, she felt _that_ pain.

Speaking of which, there is a lot of pain in this chapter, like a lot of it. Poor Allen…Poor Cas. Well, at least Miranda's there to save the day! God, I love her. She's a million times better than Lenalee, and I wish she was in the story more. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Stay tuned for more :)


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: And Snow Falls Over the Town

* * *

Road leers down at us from her perch atop the floating pink umbrella; the spiked candles dancing around her casting eerie shadows across her face.

She turns to the two remaining Akuma prowling behind her.  
"Kill them."

Ice-Man and Scissor-Boy lunge forward.

"Ice Fire!" the larger Akuma bellows as a blast of his searing, pearl-white flames crashes down upon us, followed by a whirlwind of Scissor-Boy's blades.

The attacks streak towards us.

"Get behind me!" I call to Lenalee and Allen, thrusting out my arm just as my Blood explodes out from the limb and elongates out to envelop our forms, shielding us from the onslaught.

The attacks strike me, causing me to stagger back a few paces, but I manage to hold firm as smoke and ash dance around me.

"We got 'em!" the Akuma cheer, but their glee is short lived.

A barrage of golden bullets from Allen's Weapon suddenly assail upon Ice-Man, pinning him to the ground.

Allen lands on top of him, but Scissor-Man dives in for the kill. Lenalee jumps up, snatching Allen out of harm's way as I step between them to parry the Akuma's blade with my own fashioned from Blood.

"Cas, move!" Allen calls from behind me. I drop to the ground just as another blast from Allen's gun sails over my head. Scissor-Boy dodges it in the nick of time as the blast sails past Road's head, singeing the face of the pumpkin-headed Lero.

"How can those guys still be alive, _Lero_?"

Road calmly jams her foot into the umbrella's face, muffling its whines as Lenalee and Allen drop to the ground; I land in front of them, both arms now completely fashioned into Blood spears.

"We were trained to kill these things, you know?" I call to it.  
 _What the fuck? I'm talking to an umbrella._

Meanwhile, Road just continues to calmly look down at us; her eyes training across the whole room, eventually resting on Miranda's dome of glowing cloaks continuing to spin 'round and 'round as they turn back time.

Having recovered, her two Akuma jump back down for the kill. Allen attacks Scissor-Boy while Leanlee and I easily dance around bulky Ice-Man.

"Ice Fire!" Another blast of freezing flames.

Lenalee jumps away as I coat myself in Blood and duck and cover, rolling out of the fire's path.

The Akuma grunts in confusion as I slip behind it.

"Gah!" the creature cries out, startled as I coil my Blood around its mouth, gagging it so that it can't attack again.

"Hey, Legs! Blow this bastard away," I call to Lenalee, who rushes forward and sends another torrent of wind directly at the Akuma.

Ice-Man rears back, shrieking in pain. I grit my teeth, fighting to hold on and keep my Blood in place. But my fingers slip, and the Akuma catches me wavering.

"Ice Fire!" It calls through my gag, but the burning shards do not come from his mouth. Rather, his entire body explodes out with the freezing flames as they lick at my limbs.

I cry out as my reflexes take over, and I fly backward, the singed tips of my cloak flowing about me. I shoot out a spear of blood, and it strikes the ground, steadying me as I neatly drop down beside it.

"Cas, you alright?" Allen calls.

"Yeah," I reply thickly. I glance up to see Allen looking to me in relief just as Scissor-Boy rises up behind him.

"Kid, six o'clock!" I yell. Allen spins around, his expression hardening back to malice as he wraps his claws around the Akuma's form, preparing to crush the life out of it.

The creature trembles as Allen closes in for the kill, but suddenly he cries out. I jump to my feet as I catch a tear opening up in the side of his left arm.

"Kid!" I yell, sprinting towards him. Dozens of Blood feelers explode out from under my cloak; several wrap around Allen, pulling him out of harm's way, while the rest skewer Scissor-Boy and toss him across the room, where he vanishes into the darkness.

"You alright?" I ask, retracting my arms from Allen, who's gripping his arm.

"Yeah, my wound's just returned," he replies through clenched teeth.

Behind us, the clock chimes.

Allen looks to me. "Do you think you and Lenalee can hold them off? I just need a minute."

I look over to Scissor-Boy slowly getting to his feet. "Sure," I reply coldly. "Just hurry."

"I'll be back," he reassures me before jumping to his feet and sprinting back towards the clock dome.

I watch him go for a mere fraction of a moment before Scissor-Boy lunges at me, and I'm forced to duck under his slashing blades. I race forward and step before spinning around, now behind the bewildered Akuma, who jerks his head to the side.

"Hey, bright eyes!" I call before shooting out two Blood feelers and wrapping them around the Akuma's limbs, pulling them back.

I square my shoulders and hold my stance, pulling back against the creature's weight as it struggles to escape.

"Got 'cha," I call through gritted teeth, pulling harder as the Akuma's arms are pulled behind its back.

It shrieks in pain.

"Ice-Fire!"

"What?" I spin around only for my vision to go white.

 _Shit!_

"Cas!" Arms are around my shoulders as Lenalee jumps around the flames, pulling me out of harm's way.

"Thanks, Legs; you're a lifesaver," I whisper.

"No…problem." I catch the tremor in Lenalee's voice.

"Are you okay?" I ask her as we alight on the ground. The two Akuma race towards us.

Beside me, Lenalee is breathing heavily. I glance over to see her skin is ghostly pale, and her dark eyes glassy.

"Had enough?" Ice-Man asks.

"Why don't we end this?" Scissor-Man adds before both he and his fellow Akuma launch another attack.

"Hit the deck!" I yell, throwing myself on top of Lenalee and fashioning my back into armored Blood.

The girl whimpers beneath me, but the attack doesn't strike us. I look up to see Allen having deflected the blast with his massive arm.

"You're back!" I exclaim.

"That was a close one," he replies breathlessly.

"Allen," Lenalee whispers weakly.

"Lenalee," Allen drops down beside her, "Our injuries come back whenever we're away from Miranda for too long. You need to go to her for healing. Can you make it?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," the girl replies.

"We can handle this," I assure her.

Allen looks to me, "Perhaps you should go too, Cas."

I shake my head. "Me? I'm fine; healing Blood, remember?"

Lenalee nods in understanding before jumping off, sprinting with the power of her Boots towards Miranda's wall of Innocence.

"Cas?"

I look to Allen.

"Yeah?"

He trains his gun over my head. "Duck."

I do so: flattening myself on the floor as Allen fires round after round of his glowing golden bullets at the two Akuma, who both shriek and dart about, frantically attempting to dodge them.

"Allen!" Lenalee suddenly reappears, sporting the boy's Exorcist coat, which she had picked up from where Road had left it.

"Thanks," he says with a grin, sliding the jacket back over his shoulders.

"So, that woman is a user," I hear Road muse aloud. "It seems that whenever they go near her, the Exorcists' injuries disappear."

"Then they'll keep coming back, _Lero_ ," Lero chirps.

"Alright, you two; that's enough," Road suddenly calls to her two Akuma underlings.

They both turn to her in confusion.

My eyes narrow. _What is she playing at?_

Allen and Lenalee look Road's way as well.

"Who is that?" Lenalee whispers, her first time laying eyes on the girl. "Wait…that's the girl we saw at the theater. What is she? Is she an Akuma?" she asks Allen.

"No. She's human," Allen replies darkly.

Lenalee's eyes widen. "But…how?"

"We're not sure," I respond.

Road giggles. "A. L. L. E. N," she sings out, twirling her finger through the air as, with each letter, one of her sharpened candles blinks out and the single digit spells out Allen's name in the air like invisible chalk writing on an invisible chalkboard. "It's Allen Walker, isn't it?" she calls to him, "The one that can see the souls inside Akuma?"

Allen's face darkens while I find myself instinctively moving in front of him.

"I'm sorry. I probably should have mentioned that the Lord Millennium has already told me a little about you," Road croons. "Working as an Exorcist to actually _save_ Akuma, isn't that right? When I heard that, I just laughed and laughed."

I grind my teeth together, my hand shooting out protectively to hold Allen back.  
Road smirks. "That's when I knew: I knew that I wanted to play with Allen Walker someday."

Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Allen go very pale.

"If you want him, you're going to have to go through me," I snarl, turning back to Road.

She simply continues to smile.  
"Ah yes, and Cassandra Williams, the girl who's Innocence is in her very blood," she sneers. "Tell me, what is that secret you keep deep inside your chest?"

I feel my Blood run cold at her words.

Road chuckles before turning to Ice-Man, who is lurking beside her. "You there, Akuma."

"Yes?"

Road leans against Lero. "Blow up, please."

"What?" the Akuma's eyes bug.

Allen and Lenalee gasp. I stare in shock.  
 _What is she planning?_

Road licks her lips. "Hey, Lero, start counting down from ten."

"Ten, _Lero_."

"Ah! Road, you can't do this. It's not fair," Ice-Man cries. "I've turned into such a powerful Akuma!"

"Eight, _Lero…_ Seven, _Lero_."

The Akuma's eyes grow still wider as it looks in horror at its master, calmly betraying it at the drop of at hat. I could see the fear churning in those normally cold, soulless eyes.

"YOU CAN'T!" Ice-Man screams.

"Six, _Lero_."

"Road, what are you trying to do?" Allen demands.

"What happens when an Akuma is destroyed by something other than Innocence?" she croons in response.

"Five, _Lero_."

"Let's imagine, for example, that an Akuma were to blow itself up," Road continues. "Still don't know?"

"Four, _Lero_."

"I'll tell you: their souls will vanish along with the Dark Matter."

All the color drains from Allen's face, his eyes filling with such a frantic panic that I feel my legs turn to jelly at the look on his face.

"If that happened, you couldn't save it, could you?" Road jeers.

"Two, _Lero_."

Allen's face hardens. I see it out of the corner of my eye.

"Kid, don't you dare."

But my words are unheeded as Allen's arm is consumed in the green glow of its Innocence.

"No. Don't do it!" he hollers as his arm transforms, and he rushes past me.

"Allen, don't; it's too late!" Lenalee cries

"Kid!" I scream, fear streaking through my body as I snatch at his rushing form, but the hem of his coat slips through my fingers. He jumps upward, heading straight towards Ice-Man, who's trembling in fear.

"I have to get there first; I have to destroy it!"

"One, _Lero_."

I don't think.

"Allen!" the scream rips through my body as I propel myself forward, my Blood urging me on as mind goes blank but for the single thought of him, saving him at whatever cost.

My arms are around him, my body twisting so that I'm between him and the Akuma just as the explosion blows out my ears.

Everything is a fog as dust, and shrapnel rain down around us. I see it in passing: the Akuma's body dissolving to ash, Allen beside me, reaching out. His hand groping desperately towards the dismembered creature.

In the distance, a voice in agony.  
 _Help me!_

A single tear slips down Allen's cheek, and then the force of the blast hits us both, and were are sent flying backward. Fire coats my entire form as I hit the ground with Allen beneath me, trembling but unharmed.

I can't move for a second, my ears singing the echo of the explosion, my vision blurry with too many stimulus for my stunted senses to process.

The first noise I hear clearly again is the sound of Road laughing madly, relishing in the victory she'd had over Allen. Not so much his body or mind, but his soul.

"Kid," I say quietly, sitting up to look down at him, lying beneath me.

His expression is shattered, his left eye torn at the edges, overcome with pain as a bit of the black leaks from the sclera.

Allen cries out, clapping a hand over his cursed eye.

"Are you alright?" I quickly ask.

He turns to me, his gaze murderous.

"You!" he cries, slamming his hand into me and knocking me off him. I land hard on the ground beside him, startled at his ferocity. "Why'd you stop me!" he snarls, sitting up and glaring at me, his eyes burning in rage.

My own anger explodes in my chest. I striking him across the face before I'm even considering it.

My hand recoils as he hits the ground with a grunt of pain.

"Why the fuck do you think, you fucking moron!" I thunder, grabbing him back up and holding him by the scruff of the neck, despite the aching of every fiber of my body. "Did you think I was gonna let ya throw your life away for nothing? You couldn't have saved that damn soul, so why the fucking hell were you gonna throw your life away trying?"

"You're one to talk," Allen shoots back. "You were willing to let me shoot you to get to Road.

"At least my death would have meant something, you dumb fuck!" I holler. "At least I wouldn't have died saving a pissing soul you never even knew."

"But-" Allen starts to protest, but I cut him off.

"I don't matter in this equation, you shithead!" I snarl, throwing him to the side, where he stares at me in bewilderment. "I can die, that's fine. That's okay. But you," I point a finger at him. "You can't die, do you hear me? You can't fucking die, Allen Walker, because you're my friend. I'm not losing you. I'm not having Emma again. Do you fucking-"

"Cas, stop it," Lenalee snaps from behind me.

My words catch in my throat as she drops down beside Allen and places a hand on his shoulder. He shakes her off; I didn't even notice he was trembling.

Suddenly, I feel like I'm going to be sick.

"Cas, are you alright?" Lenalee turns to me.

I bite my lip, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm…Oh, there go my organs." Everything collapses inwardly, and I fall on my face as a cacophony of pain and anguish explodes in my skull.

"Cas!" I faintly feel Lenalee's arm on my back. I heave, my chest feeling like its caving in as I spew blood out from between my lips.

"Oh that was wonderful," I faintly here Road cheer. "Oh, what a performance. Trying to stop him before he exploded, I never would have guessed how heroic you are."

"You…You're a monster!" Allen hollers.

Road shrugs simply. "But would a real hero leave her unprotected?"

I gingerly lift my head in time to see Scissor-Boy streaking straight towards Miranda's clock dome.

"Don't you touch her!" Allen snarls, training his gun on the Akuma.

He fires a blast, consuming it momentarily, but it doesn't find its mark. However, before the dust clears, Lenalee jumps up and leaps forward. As the smoke dissipates, she slices her leg clean through Scissor-Boy's body, cleaving him in half.

She then falls through barrier of the clock dome, most likely to make sure that Miranda was alright within her time sanctuary.

Faintly, I feel a trace of her and an overwhelming fatigue washes over me; whether it was hers or mine, I didn't have time to dwell on it as I attempted to sit up, training my gaze on Allen and Road.

"Aww, you beat us to her," Road muses, stepping off of the hovering umbrella and alighting on the ground. "I guess it's time to call it a day anyways," she adds, smoothly walking past Allen, who's standing frozen, his arm still alight, every inch of him filled to the brim with a burning rage.

I manage to sit up, even though feeling has left most of my body.

"You were much more fun then I expected, Allen Walker," Road continues as a sudden purple light bubbles up from the ground. With a loud bang, a heart shaped coffin of a door sprouts out of the floor. "See ya," the dark girl calls as she turns to step through the door.

Allen suddenly whirls around.

"Kid!" I move to my feet despite everything screaming at me to stop moving, to lie down and be still.

Road has barely moved a step before Allen has her in his sights. She freezes, her entire body going still as she feels the pressure of Allen's Anti-Akuma Weapon gun trained on the back of her head.

They stand there for what feels like an eternity, the seconds ticking away as I attempt to stagger over to them despite my legs giving out with every step.

"Go ahead and shoot," Road whispers.

A tear drops onto the silver badge of Allen's coat, followed by dozens more as they spill thickly from the boy's silver eyes.

"What a sweetheart you are, Allen," Road sneers. "You really hate me, don't you? Go ahead and shoot me, but don't forget, that arm of yours is also a weapon."

 _Weapons also exist for humans to kill other humans._

"Kid…don't," I'm mere feet away, but it feels like the space between me and this second of death frozen in time are eons away.

I feel a horrible sense of familiarity in this scenario. Allen and I, surrounded by darkness, mere inches apart but there seems to be miles.

So like the dream that had brought us together.

Allen is shaking, his voice coming out in short gasps and sobs. Too angry to speak as his Weapon arm trembles like a leaf

 _Feels nice, doesn't it? This is how it's supposed to feel when two humans embrace._

And I'm there. My whole body burns, Blood is pouring from my lips and eyes, pooling in my shoes and weighing down my clothes. My body is heavy, but I can bear the pain.

"Allen…I'm here," my arms are wrapped around his neck. He gasps, his voice choking thickly.

I hold him against me, one arm continuing to encircle him while the other goes up to press its blood-soaked fingers to the gun. "Allen, that's enough. It's over."

Allen sobs louder, choking on his tears, but his form gives way under the weight of his sorrow, drowning the anger as he folds into me. The Weapon goes dark as it dissolves back into his arm. He spins around and buries his face in my chest, crying harder as he wraps his arms around my own shaking form.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," I soothe, reaching up to tenderly run my fingers through his hair. "It's gonna be okay," I urge. I lean my face into his sweet-smelling hair. "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry."

Allen looks up at me, his silver eyes shining in the darkness.

I press a hand to the side of his face, feeling the hot tears beneath my fingers.

I feel the pain flow into me, making me want to throw myself to the ground and howl in agony as Allen's tears begin to pool in my own eyes, mixing with the Blood.

"Look at you: crying over an Akuma," Road muses. "I knew you didn't have it in you." The door snaps open with a bang revealing nothing but a purple void. She slowly passes into the door, but before the shadows can take her, Road turns back and our eyes meet: gold on gold.  
"Let me warn you, Cassandra Williams: next time will not be so easy, for the Lord Millennium will have set the stage for us."

Her words float away after her, echoing in my already throbbing skull as she vanishes into the door, and it dissolves behind her, falling away into the void.

I stand there, dumbstruck, eyes still trained on the spot the door had stood.  
"Damn," I whisper. It's about all I can say.

Allen, meanwhile, is crying a little quieter. I look down at him to see he's resting his head on my shoulder, having to stand on tip toe to be able to do so.

"You alright?"

"No."

"Oh, me neither."

"Cas…" Allen's voice no longer reflects anguish, but rather a building confusion as his hand slips from his side and rises up to press against my chest. "You…" he lifts his head to look at me, his sliver eyes wide in alarm. "You…You don't have a heartbeat."

 _Shit._

Before I can respond, there is a loud explosion from behind us. It shakes the whole room as an array of cracks splinter across the ground, spreading out from the center of the room and streaking across the wall, floors and ceiling.

Allen and I jump apart; I stagger slightly and he rushes forward to give me support. We both look over to the glowing clock dome where Lenalee and Miranda are waiting.

The floor heaves beneath us as another tremor shakes the dark room, chunks of debris rain down from the ceiling, but the dome seems to remain unharmed.

"It's all collapsing!" I cry as the ground begins to fall away around us, the candles, the floating presents, the walls, the cracks grow wider, a burning gold light exploding from them.

"Lenalee, Miranda!" Allen staggers towards the dome, dragging me along, but the floor suddenly gives way.

I feel a moment of weightlessness and then I'm falling through nothing.

A scream rips through my lungs as I tumble through the void. I think I hear Allen cry out beside me, and then nothing at all.

* * *

I must have blacked out for a second because I suddenly find myself face down on a hard wooden floor.

"What the…?" I groan, trying to sit up and managing to do so. My Blood having already begun to work at my injuries.

I turn over onto my back and glance around. Allen is sitting beside me, blinking in astonishment.

I gaze around. We're back in Miranda's apartment. The sky is dark outside, the inside of the apartment is eerily still, with only the missing clock and the message Road had splattered across the wall offering any indication of what had just transpired.

"How did we…How did we make it back here?" Allen asks. "What happened to that place?"

"Road must have destroyed it," I reply, trying to get to my feet, but the room turns a somersault. "Okay, movement's not happening for a while," I declare, flopping onto my back.

Timcampy flies nervous circles over my head. I smile weakly at him as I reach up towards him, and he gently nuzzles my finger.

"Allen! Cas!" Lenalee's voice snaps me back, and I sit bolt upright, all pain and fatigue forgotten. "Guys, there's something wrong with Miranda!"

Her voice is coming from down the hall.

Allen scrambles to his feet and races around the corner with me stumbling after him.

I round the corner a few seconds after Allen, and it feels like I walked into a brick wall. A wave of burning exhaustion crashes onto me, and I lose my balance, sliding to the floor.

"Miranda!" Allen rushes over to where the woman is hunched over on the floor, Lenalee already beside her. The clocks of Miranda's Innocence are still hovering above our heads, continuously winding backwards, never slowing for a moment.

Miranda's whole form is shaking violently, her breathes raw as her shoulders heave, thick tears are spilling from her bloodshot eyes as she hugs herself, bent over in apparent agony.

"What's the matter?" Allen asks Lenalee.

"I think she's refusing to deactivate her Innocence," she replies.

"Miranda, you have to stop." Allen turns to her, "Your body isn't strong enough yet to control it this long."

"I-I can't," Miranda gasps. "If I were to let it stop…Ah!" she suddenly screams out, crying in frustration as the clocks slowly begins to disperse, but Miranda's will pushes them back, sharpening their power. "If I were to stop," she gasps "Then time comes back to you all, and that means all of the injuries would come back…All of that pain!" she sobs, "I can't let that happen. I finally…Someone finally thanked me for something." Her tears flow from her eyes. "I have to keep it going; I can't stop…I can't stop."

Her form collapses into heavy sobs.

In the distance, I hear the clocks begin to strike midnight.

"It's alright, deactivate it." Allen places a hand on Miranda's trembling shoulder, "Hey, look at me."

Slowly, the woman lifts her head to meet his eyes.

Allen smiles. "Miranda, you've earned a rest."

"He's right," I agree, slowly crawling closer to the others. "I mean, if it weren't for you, we'd probably all be dead right now. We're grateful for that, trust me."

"That's right," Lenalee says warmly. "Miranda, if you hadn't activated your Innocence when you did, we wouldn't have survived that attack. Thank you for saving us."

"But we should be the ones to carry our own injuries," I add.

Allen nods in agreement. "Yeah, as long as we're alive they have a pretty good chance of healing."

"Miranda," Lenalee leans forward and takes the other woman's hands. "Our bodies are going to heal in time, so let go. Let it stop."

Miranda looks at her. She sniffs loudly and then closes her eyes. Instantly, the clocks stop and slowly move inward, retracting back into the clock standing erect behind Miranda's folded form, their light vanishing and leaving behind the darkness of the hall.

The clocks move forward, and I can feel time spin the right way.

In the distance, the clock finishes striking midnight for the last time.

October 28th is over for good.

The chimes sing out as Lenalee goes limp, and Allen slumps to the floor.

I remain partially standing, my lack of pain receptors keeping me from be completely overwhelmed.

I look to Miranda; our eyes meet. "Go get help."

The woman is up in a flash, bolting down the hall. In a few moments, I hear the bang of the door being thrown open, and then the pounding of her feet on the stairs.

Slowly, I crawl over to Lenalee; placing a hand on her pale wrist, I breathe a sigh of relief.

Still alive.

Allen coughs heavily, his breath burning in his throat as his chest heaves. I quickly rush over to him, catching him before he can fall to the floor.

I hold him against my chest.

"C-Cas…"

"Shhh," I urge. "Go, to sleep, kid."

"Cas…thank you."

I blink in surprise before smiling weakly. "For what? I called you a shithead."

Allen laughs but it turns into a choke. "Yeah, you did. That wasn't cool."

"I'm sorry."

"I know, but thanks anyways. You saved me…twice."

"That I did."

"Cas…?"

I can feel Allen beginning to slip away, his grip loosening on my sleeve as he starts to drown in the waters of fatigue and pain.

"Yeah?"

"Can you sing…again?"

I'm momentarily taken aback, but it quickly passes as I look out the window towards the cloudy night sky just as the first few flakes of winter's snow finally falls onto the Rewinding Town.

And the words come to me:

 _So let me freeze time_

 _Before it turns cold_

 _The moments go by_

 _And life goes on_

 _The torturous stars_

 _Are taking every breath I wish I held_

 _The love in my heart_

 _Is never ending_

 _Where do we go when we walk on light_

 _Who do we call at the edge of night_

 _Carry me close like the tear drops in your eyes_

 _All I can give you is memories_

 _Carry them with you and I'll never leave_

 _I'll lay my head down_

 _But when I lay my head down_

 _Don't let me go_

 _Hold me in your beating heart_

 _I won't let go_

 _Forever is not enough_

 _Let me lay my head down on the shadow by your side_

 _Don't let me go_

 _Hold me in your beating heart_

The last phrase leaves my lips just before I too fall down into the blackness of sleep.

* * *

The first feeling that returns to me is the faint notion of light hitting my eyelids. I scrunch up my face, annoyed at the intrusion of my sleep.

The second is what sounds like a drill. My eyes snap open at the sound of Allen shriek.

"Gah! What the fuck," I sit bolt upright, a flurry of white sheets tumbling around me as I twist in my bed.

I glance around me to find myself in a grey, spacious hospital room, there is a window beside my bed which explains the sunlight and across from me is another bed, which Allen is sitting in, flattened against his pillow as he cowers at Komui standing over him with a rather large power drill.

He turns towards me. "Ah, Cas. You're awake too? Good."

I look to him and then to Allen. He's heavily damaged, most notably a large patch over his left eye. I wince, remembering Road's candle puncturing it right next to me. That scream will haunt me for years.

Beside my bed, I also take notice of several buckets, all filled to the brim in my dark red Blood. I guess it's understandable, probably a lot of healing going on.

"Where are we?" Allen asks Komui

"You're in a hospital, of course," the Chief replies. "Don't worry; it's a very reliable facility partnered with the Order."

"But what are you doing here?" I demand.

"I'm here to make sure you get back into tip top shape," Komui replies with a wink.

"Oh, that's nice," Allen declares while I flop down against my pillows.

"But why aren't we at the order?" I ask.

"Well, you all had very serious injuries, so we couldn't transfer you to Headquarters yet."

"Where's Lenalee?" Allen asks.

"She's here; she has nerve damage," Komui replies, dropping his gaze. "So she probably won't wake up for a while."

"Want me to take a look at her?" I offer." I might be able to help."

"No, Cas; that's quite alright," Komui replies dismissively. "You should focus on healing yourself, and besides, Lenalee's in very good hands."

"Yep, that old geezer's with her right now, so she should be as good as new in a few days," a voice calls from the door.

Allen and I whip our head in its direction to see a lanky teenager leaning against the doorframe. He has a sleek, handsome face half-hidden by a thick black eyepatch over his left eye. He's dressed in a black and white Exorcist coat with an orange scarf draped around his shoulders. His most striking feature is a fine crop of scarlet hair that spikes up in all directions from under a green headband, which matches the eyes that gleam playfully as he fixes on Allen and me.

"So, I'm Lavi. It's nice to finally meet ya."

"It's nice to meet you too," Allen offers.

Lavi grins at him before turning to me.

"Hey."

I smirk. "Hey yourself," I reply.

Allen groans.

"Oh, that reminds me," Lavi suddenly says, "Some lady stopped by to see you earlier; she left a letter for you. Didn't stick around though." He then fishes around in his pocket, finally producing a cream-colored envelope. "It's from a Miranda Lotto, do you know her?"

"Do we!" I exclaim while Allen nearly jumps out of bed.

"Lemme see!" he exclaims before falling back against the pillow with a gasp of pain.

"Stop trying to move so fast!" Komui urges.

"I'll take that, handsome," I declare, holding out my hand

Lavi passes the letter to me, grinning widely.

I quickly unfold it and read it aloud. "Dear Allen, Lenalee, and Cas, you'll have to forgive me for not staying to see you walk up. Since the day I harnessed the clock's Innocence, there have been no other strange phenomena in this town. This citizens don't seem to have any idea that October 28th repeated thirty three times. Now that I look back, I believe the Innocence caused everything to happen the way it did in order to test me. Do you think that's possible, or am I just being silly? After all, the Innocence did keep silent until just the right moment for me to use it, did it not? But however it happened, I feel that I've finally found my place in the world. I know I'll see you all again…and next time, I'll stand beside you as an Exorcist."

I feel a balloon of happiness swelling in my chest as I read Miranda's words. I look up at Allen, who's grinning from ear to ear.

Miranda…an Exorcist.

I could feel her new found strength burning in me, mixing with the happiness Allen is feeding me.

 _You're right, Miranda; you have found your place in the world. And I am eager to fight by your side as a fellow apostle of God._

* * *

I suppose I should have expected my positive feelings to be short lived.

Barely an hour later, after Komui and that boy Lavi had left to give Allen and I time to rest, I found myself bent over the sink in the room's personal bathroom, violently vomiting Blood.

I grip my stomach, my whole form heaving as it attempts to expel the excess fluids.

My hands curl around the sink so tightly my knuckles go white, just as a knock comes at the door.

"Cas, are you alright?" Allen calls.

I wince. "Yeah, I'm fine, kid. I just-" I'm cut off from a thick fluid of crimson pouring from my lips. I turn and retch into the sink, my knees buckling under the exertion.

I barely hear the door open as I slide to the floor, groaning.

"Cas!" Allen rushes to my side, dropping to his knees as he places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

I laugh weakly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Believe it or not, kid; this is normal for me."

I choke again, my shoulders shaking as I clap a hand to my mouth, coughing thickly.

Allen attempts to soothe me, rubbing my back in tender circles.

"It's alright, I'm fine," I insist once I have control over my voice again. "I'm used to this sort of thing."

Allen stares at me, shocked, "What do you mean?"

I grin at him, my teeth stained with Blood. "Fifty times the human's typical blood production per day, kid. It's gotta go _somewhere_."

As I speak, my voice trails off into more choking before I turn over and vomit again into the toilet. Allen stares, momentarily too shocked for words.

"Does it…hurt."

"I don't really feel pain, remember?" I remind him, turning away from the toilet and wiping my mouth on the back of my hand. "Impaired sympathetic nervous system."

I turn to see Allen looking at me, his grey eyes burning with intensity. "What?"

"Cas, I…" Allen licks his lips. "The thing is…I might have just been imagining things, but before, after Road," he paused, momentarily losing his composure.

I already know what he's going to say before the words leave his lips.

"I felt like…your heart…It wasn't beating. Was I wrong?"

I don't respond right away. Closing my eyes as I finally manage to regain enough strength to stand.

Allen peers up at me.

"Cas?"

I look at him, my expression pained. "Allen, I'm going to show you something," I declare, "Something I have only ever shown to one other person in my life, and when I do, you have to promise me not to tell a soul. Do I have your word?"

Allen swallows, his expression bewildered as he scrambles to his feet. "Of-Of course! You can trust me with anything."

I smile weakly. "Just promise me you won't scream." I then proceed to unbutton the front of m pajama top.

Allen makes a noise that sounds like a duck being trodden on. "Uh…Cas!" he cries, his face flaming.

I scowl. "Oh, relax! It's not like I have much here anyways," I snap, undoing the finally button and slowly pulling open my shirt.

Allen's embarrassment instantly dissipates, and his expression is replaced by a look of complete shock and…perhaps even slight horror.

"C-Cas…what?"

He stares at my chest, taking in the sight I behold when I look in the mirror every morning. My ribs are poking out of my skin, burying into my flesh before reappearing again. The bones are grey and solid as rock, gleaming like polished silver, but that isn't the strangest part. In the center of my chest there is a faint glow like radiating up from my skin like a light underwater. It is a familiar, pale green gleam.

Innocence.

Allen gapes, too shocked to speak.

"Feel this," I say, thumping my fist against one of my exposed ribs. "Strong as titanium. They grew back like this after that Akuma in Mater shattered them a little to easily. My body's constantly making updates like this, but-"

I trail off, seeing Allen's face.

My expression softens, "Here." I reach forward and take his hand, gently pulling it forward and pressing it to the spot where the light is emanating from.

Allen's eyes widen still further as he feels the heat beneath his fingertips.

Heat…and no heartbeat.

"The thing is, Allen," I say to him, turning his eyes back to my own. "My Innocence does not flow through my veins alongside my Blood, my Innocence _is_ my Blood, or more specifically my heart."

"But…how?" Allen cries, jerking his hand away and moving back a step. "How can you still be alive without a heartbeat?"

"My heart has never beat, Allen," I reply simply. "I was born with a cold, hard lump of Innocence in my chest. It produces Blood, but it doesn't need to pump it, it simply creates, never stopping, not for an instant."

As I speak, I redo the buttons, covering the Innocence with my shirt, but Allen still doesn't take his eyes from the spot where he knows its faintly glowing.

"All Parasite-type Accommodators, have some part of their body that is made up of Innocence, for most it's a limb, for some it's some other form of bone. Very rarely does the God Crystal manifest as a vital organ inside an Exorcist's body. In fact," I smile slightly, "In fact, I'm the only known case they have."

Allen blinks. "Do others…Do others know?"

"Well, Hevlaska does," I admit. "She found out the minute she first met me and examined my Innocence, and then she told Komui. Other than that, you are the only one that knows."

"But I…I," Allen seems to be struggling, pausing to lean against the wall.

Slowly, I place a hand over my chest. "My Innocence is my life force; it is what keeps me breathing, what moves me, what keeps me living. It is all that I am, both body and soul. It prevents me from feeling, detaching me from what would make me otherwise a perfectly normal human. A heart that doesn't beat, is a heart that doesn't feel," My hand curls into a fist around my chest. "My name is Cassandra Williams, and I have a heart of Innocence."

Allen looks at me, his eyes flitting back and forth between my own and the spot on my chest. Finally, after a long pause, he pushes himself off the wall and slowly walks back over to me.

Wordlessly, he reaches out and takes the hand that I have clasped over my ribs. Pulling it from my chest, he gently unfolds the fingers, one by one.  
I stare at him in bewilderment, but then he smiles.

I blink, utterly astonished. "Allen, I…I thought you'd be repulsed."

"Do you really know so little of me to think that I couldn't hold within my own heart the greatest secret of the friend that has saved my life?"

I gawk at him, forgetting myself as my mouth falls open. If I had tears, they'd probably be flowing. In that moment, looking into Allen's silver eyes with my gold ones, I felt an overwhelming, nameless emotion that seemed to be some kind of combination of everything at once slowly unfold inside me.

It is brand new, and yet still familiar.

I gasp quietly. Allen gently releases my hand before reaching up to touch the side of my face.  
"You are Cas; nothing will change that," he reassures me.

I smile, "Thank you, Allen."

He grins at me, before reaching past me and plucking up a towel from beside the sink.  
"Here," He holds it out to me.

I take it and gingerly wipe the side of my mouth.

"Are you going to be okay?"

I nod wordlessly, staring intently at my shoes.

"Good. You should come back to bed," he urges me.

"I will," I tell the ground.

"Alright," he pats me on the shoulder before moving past me to exit the bathroom. "Don't worry," he whispers in my ear as he passes. "I won't tell a soul."

I don't respond, nor do I turn around as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

I feel a twinge of something, possibly pain and it immediately evaporates whatever else I might have been feeling in that moment.

Why couldn't I…Why couldn't I tell him the whole truth?

I tighten my grip on the bloodied towel in my fist. _No, you can't. A half-truth is fine. He doesn't need ot know the rest._

I continue to look down, letting the towel fall on my fingers as I look down and see the words tattooed on the inside of my arm.

 _Never_

 _Forget_

I close my eyes, curling my hands into fists.

"Stop it!" I hiss. "Not again. You can't do this to yourself…Not again."

* * *

A/N: Well, the Rewinding Town arc is complete, and boy did it end with a bang! Cas has finally revealed the secret of her Innocence, but not all of it as she has clearly shown.

Just what more is there to tell? Stay tuned.

Also, a few people have asked if Allen and Cas will be a couple….Well, I don't tend to explicitly state what pairings will be in my fics, I prefer to let them unfold over time, so it's anyone's guess.

Even more so, considering how much of a flirt Cas is, if her reaction to Lavi was any indication :/

I will say this: At the moment, they care and worry about each other a great deal, and Cas thinks Allen's got nice abs :P


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Apologies this chapter was late, the internet was down in my house last week and then I was on vacation in Florida. Oh well, now I'm back slightly burned and over fed with a chapter for you all. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 13: With The Coat

* * *

I lie on my side, curled up under the thin hospital sheets, my hand tucked under my pillow as I close my eyes: trying to sleep. However, the minute I do so, my vision is immediately consumed by the horrific, cackling expression of Road Kamelot, and I'm instantly wide awake again, as well as filled with the sudden desire to vomit.

Giving up, I sit up, pulling my powder blue pipe out from under my pillow. As I lean forward to grab a match from the drawer of my bedside table, I notice Allen propped up on his pillow, intently staring at me.

I eye him in bemusement as I light my pipe. "What?"

He blinks. "Nothing," he replies, immediately dropping his gaze, "It's just, you look different today."

I arch an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Allen shakes his head. "I don't know…there's just something….You know what? I'm going to stop talking."

I smile as I see his cheeks redden. "Kid, relax; I don't have any makeup on."

He perks up at this. "Is that it?'

"Probably," I shrug. "I mean, I don't think you've ever seen me without it on."

"You do wear it a lot," Allen remarks.

"Yeah, well, I suppose it'd be best to embrace my only feminine quality," I reply simply, taking a long drag of my pipe and puffing the smoke up into the ceiling.

"Lenalee doesn't wear makeup," Allen remarks quietly.

I stiffen, suddenly growing annoyed.  
"Yeah, well she could use some from time to time; that face of hers is nothing special. The only reason I'd fuck her is because those legs of hers go all the way up."

I notice that Allen is once again flushing, all the way up to his roots.

I smirk. "What? Does that intimidate you?"

"No!" he replies loudly.

Before I can respond, Komui suddenly enters.

I jump. "Shit!" I cry as I dive onto my side facing away from him, stuffing my still lit pipe under my pillow, dousing it with my finger.

"Cas, are you smoking in here?" he demands almost instantly.

"No," I say into my pillow.

"Cas, you know you are forbidden from consuming any nicotine while you're here," Komui reminds me, striding over.

He approaches my bedside, holding out his hand.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?" I snap, relenting as I slam the now doused pipe into his outstretched palm. "I've already bled out the remainder from my system," I add, gesturing to the two brimming buckets of Blood sitting under my bed.

Komui looks at them. "Which reminds me: I need to send up an attendant to take those away."

"Reuse it if you can; I'm a universal donor," I advise.

"What's that mean?" Allen asks.

"It means her blood type is compatible with all people," Komui explains, striding over to Allen's bed, "It's quite useful. By the way, how are you doing?"

Allen shifts slightly in bed, his hand brushing over the thick patch covering his left eye, "I've been a lot better. How's Lenalee?"

"She's fine; it's certainly nothing to worry about," Komui replied simply.

Allen nods, "I'm glad she's doing well."

"What type of treatment is she receiving?" I inquire.

"It's called acupuncture," Komui explains, "It's a Chinese therapy that uses needles in the skin to relieve pain."

"Oh yeah, I've heard of that," I remark.

Allen grimaces, "Sounds painful."

Komui grins, "You can give it a try, if you want to."

"What? No way!"

I watch their exchange for a moment before speaking up.  
"Komui, can I ask you a question?"

The Chief looks surprised.  
"Of course."

"Why did you decide to come all the way out here when you have so much work to do? Of course you care for Lenalee, but you're here for something else." I pause to lean forward in my bed, "What can you tell me about the Noah Family?"

"He came to ask me that same question."

Allen and I both jump and whirl around to see that red-headed boy Lavi standing in the doorway.

 _Where the hell did he come from?_

Lavi smirks, "The Noah Family has had great influence for generations, but you'd never know it, and they're power has never been officially recorded. Yet, somehow they've always popped up at the major turning points in history."

Allen looks disturbed at this.

I don't blame him.

"They've appeared once again and taken the side of the Earl," Lavi continues, "That's why you're Chief came here: to speak with the Bookmen, who are the only known humans to have knowledge of-"

SMASH!

Lavi is suddenly round house kicked into the wall by a short, spindly little man with a grey, wrinkled face, heavily lidded black eyes, and a wisp of coarse grey hair.

I grimace as I feel Lavi's pain course through me.

"Talk is cheap," the little man spat as he alights on the floor beside Lavi, who groans heavily. "You still don't know when to keep your mouth shut, do you? How many times do I have to say it? The Bookmen's information cannot be divulged to outsiders!"

Allen and I exchange a bemused glance; Komui looks equally confused.

 _Where are all these people coming from?_

"Hey, I don't see the big deal," Lavi asserts with a grin, "I mean, you're getting up in years, grandpa; so, I'll be replacing you soon anyway."

"You fool! Only you could be naïve enough to think you are worthy of filling my shoes," the man cries, getting up in Lavi's face.

The younger man just continues to smile, "You crusty old panda!

SMACK!

Lavi whimpers as he folds over, gripping his head.

I tilt my head to the side thoughtfully.  
 _I guess he does kinda look like a panda._

The man then looks towards us.

"Allen Walker: the prophecy speaks of you being the Destroyer of Time, correct?"

"Uh, yes," Allen replies nervously.

"On behalf of all of the Bookmen, it is an honor to meet you," the little man declares.

Allen raises an eyebrow. "Bookmen?"

"We investigate secrets in history that aren't part of official record and _make_ them official," Lavi explains, "Lemme tell ya, a lot of hard work goes into-"

SMACK!

I groan. "Would you stop hitting him? Empath over here!"

The man straightens up and regards me in a curious manner.  
"Ah, and you must be Cassandra Williams, the prophecy's Creator of Space and the bearer of a Heart of Innocence."

My mouth falls open.  
I round on Komui "You _told_ him!"

He looks indignant, "I did nothing of the sort."

"Part of a Bookman's job is being thorough in their observations," the man explains, "I noticed your medical anomalies when I examined you upon your arrival."

"Oh."

Komui looks at me. "Allen knows?"

"Yeah, I told him the other night," I reply with a shrug.

The Chief grins, "Excellent, Cas! You're finally beginning to open up to your comrades."

I scowl. "I didn't have much of a choice; when you feel a girl's chest and there's nothing there, you're gonna start asking questions,"

"So, if you're Bookmen, why are you dressed as Exorcists?" Allen then inquires of the man.

"We are currently acting as Exorcists with special duties," he explains as he holds his hand out to Allen, "I don't have an official name, so just call me Bookman."

"Oh, okay."

"Nice to meet you," I add as Bookman shakes my hand.

"Now then," he continues, "I'm here to examine Allen's left eye to see if it requires any further treatment."

"Alright, I'll go see how Lenalee's doing," Komui declares as he strides past Lavi, still on the floor.

"Komui, I need nicotine!" I call after him.

He pauses in the doorway, "I'm sorry, Cas; the doctor has forbidden you to smoke while in his care."

"You're not a doctor."

"No, I'm your boss."

"Komui, I'm _dying_!" I whine.

"Chew gum," Lavi offers.

I throw my face into my pillow and scream loudly.

When I lift my head back up, I see that Bookman has removed Allen's eyepatch and is peering intently at the eye.

"Now that is very strange," he says, "It appears as if your left eye has begun to regenerate of its own volition. It doesn't look like my needle treatment shall be necessary, after all."

"I guess that means I'm pretty lucky," Allen remarks.

"I heard it's a curse of some kind."

"Yes," Allen places his hand over the wound, "I injured it as a boy when I turned my father into an Akuma."

"You should probably get some rest," Bookman declares, "Once you, Miss Lee, and Miss Williams are healed you will have to report immediately for another assignment."

I raise an eyebrow at this.  
 _Already? They're usually months apart. It's only been three days._

Allen nods.

As Bookman turns to leave, he pauses with one more glance at me.

"What?" I ask.

"Your face…" he trails off and then leaves.

I blink.  
"My face?"

At that moment, Allen gets up.

I turn to him. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk," he replies. "I'm going to lose my mind if I have to stay cooped up in here." He tugs on a pair of pants and then looks at me. "You coming?"

I exhale, "Fuck yes."

* * *

When Allen and I exit our room, we find Lavi standing in the hall as though he's waiting for us.

"Hey, you going out for some fresh air?" he asks casually.

"Yeah," Allen replies.

"Mind if I join you?"  
The young Bookman doesn't wait for a response as he falls into step beside us.

Its early evening as we step out into the grey, winter streets of the little German town we'd been staying in.

The streets are surprisingly crowded, lined with candles and brightly colored banners; there are wreaths lining every door, and the smells of baked goods are wafting through the air.

"What's all this?" Allen asks as we walk along.

"Some kind of feast," Lavi remarks.

"St. Lucia's Day," I explain, finally able to light my pipe that I'd swiped from Komui as I inhale deeply, "Pretty famous holiday in this part of the world."

"That's right, Cas. I keep forgetting you're German," Allen remarks.

"You're German?" Lavi asks.

"Born and raised."

"And is it really true that you have a heart of Innocence?" the older boy exclaims.

I eye him oddly. "Uh, yeah."

"Can I see?" Lavi asks, half reaching for my blouse buttons.

"No!" I cry, jerking away and tugging my Exorcist cloak tighter around myself.

Lavi laughs sheepishly. "Sorry, curiosity's just comes natural to us Bookmen, Cassandra."

I scowl, "Don't call me Cassandra."

"So, how old are you two?" Lavi continues, thankfully changing the subject.

"About fifteen," Allen replies.

"Seventeen," I add.

Lavi smirks. "Ah, I'm the oldest: I'm eighteen."

"Good for you," I snap.

Lavi chuckles before glancing at Allen, his expression thoughtful.  
"Only fifteen, huh? You know, maybe it's your white hair, but you look older."

"My hair?" Allen looks slightly miffed.

"So, Lavi's my name, and some people call me Junior," Lavi continues, "What's your nickname?"

"Cas," I reply dryly, "Rarely Cassandra, and never Cassie."

"Alright then," Lavi grins cheekily, "I'm just going to keep calling you Cassandra."

"I'd rather you didn't."

"Sorry, proper naming is another factor of being a Bookman." He turns to Allen, "How about you? You got a nickname? Does Short Stack sound alright?"

I laugh at Allen's horrified expression.

Lavi looks confused. "Well, that is what Yu referred to you as."

"Yu?" Allen asks.

"Oh, you don't know? That's Kanda's first name," Lavi exclaims. "It caught me off guard too."

"Really? I didn't know he had a first name," I remark.

"Me neither," Allen agrees, "I thought he just went by Kanda."

"Next time you run into him, you should call him Yu and see if you can get a good reaction out of him," Lavi exclaims with a chuckle.

I laugh again as Allen pales at the thought.  
"I think Allen likes his testicles were they are, Lavi."

"Of course, you probably won't see him for quite a while," Lavi continues, "I've got a feeling that our assignments are only going to get longer and more difficult as time goes on."

"I was just thinking the same thing," I muse, taking another hard puff on my pipe.

"Why do you say that?" Allen inquires of Lavi.

"The Noah Family appearing is proof enough for me," the Bookman replies, "It most likely means the Earl is stepping up his operations."

I suddenly recalls Road's final words to me before she'd vanished:  
 _Let me warn you, Cassandra Williams: next time will not be so easy, for the Lord Millennium will have set the stage for us._

"Well, that's the reality of this situation, so we need to be ready," Lavi declares.

"Damn straight," I agree, blowing more smoke out from between my lips.

However, I falter when I see Allen doesn't share our enthusiasm; rather that disturbed glint has returned to his eyes as he grips his left arm.  
"Damn him," he hisses through gritted teeth, "I became an Exorcist to destroy Akuma, not to murder my fellow human beings."

I look at him, nearly overwhelmed with a sudden emotion that I couldn't tell if it was his or mine. The sudden rush of memories feeling all too real within my mind.

Allen suddenly walks on ahead.

"Hey! Where you going?" Lavi cries. "What's wrong, Short Stack?"

"MY NAME'S ALLEN!"

Lavi recoils.

"I'm going ahead on my own," Allen snaps, picking up his pace, "I'll meet up with you later."

"Kid, wait!" I call, starting forward, but Lavi holds me back as Allen vanishes into the crowd.

"Let him be; guy needs a breather."

I stare after Allen, trying to sort out the knotted ball of emotions twisting in the pit of my stomach.  
 _Damn. I don't know how to process any of this._

"Oh ho! What's going on here?" Lavi jeers, jerking me from my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"I see that look in your eyes. What's up with you and Short Stack, huh?"

"You really shouldn't call him that," I state coldly, "And there's nothing going on. Believe me, I lack the emotional capacity for such a thing."

Lavi quirks a brow. "Really? What makes you say that?"

I place a hand over my chest, "This heart of mine prevents me from processing emotions the same way normal people do. I lack the emotional depth to feel on that kind of level."

Lavi smirks, "Somehow I'm not convinced of that."

I open my mouth to respond when I'm suddenly overwhelmed by a single emotion that crashes down like an anvil on my chest. This one I can process; this one I understand.

Fear.

"Allen!" the word leaves my mouth, and I'm bolting into the crowd before I've even fully registered what I'm sensing.

Vaguely, I hear Lavi behind me say something along the lines of: "Lacking the emotional capacity my ass."

But I pay him no mind as I push through the throng of faces and twisting bodies, all moving together in a great, oozing pile of laughter, dancing, eating, and cheering.

Luckily, Allen's white hair sticks out like a sore thumb, and I spy him by a fountain and a group of street performers dressed as court jesters. He's standing rooted to the spot, and I only see why as I break free of the crowd in time to catch sight of a little girl, who's face has morphed into a gun, pointing the loaded barrel directly at Allen's head.

"Kid!" My shirt tears from wrist to shoulder as a spear of Blood hardens along my limb, and I leap forward, slashing the little girl Akuma in two, and she explodes into a pile of ash all over the cobblestones.

Allen staggers backward, falling to the ground as I drop down beside him.  
"You okay?" I ask breathlessly.

"Y-Yeah," he stammers.

A sudden explosion goes off just left of my head, sending both of us flying through the air and landing in the fountain.

I sit up with a gasp, freezing water spraying all around me as my ears ring from the explosion.  
"Fan-fucking-tastic," I hiss at the sight of a second Akuma leaping down from the rooftops, landing in the crater it'd made in the street as the crowd all runs screaming in every direction.

It whirls around, immediately detecting Allen and me floundering in the fountain and is about to pounce when something very large and very heavy lands on top of it, crushing it to dust.

"That sure was a close one," Lavi declares, "You two ought to be more careful."

My mouth falls open as I look at him; he's standing perched on top of a gigantic hammer, at least four or five times his size. It's made a huge dent in the ground, even bigger than the one the Akuma had made before the blunt instrument had flattened it.

"Look out! It's a monster," some onlooker screams, jerking all our attention back to the rooftops where some Akuma shaped similar to a teddy bear is firing some kind of projectile at us.

"Move!" I yell, grabbing Allen's hand and scrambling out of the fountain just seconds before the missile collides with the structure, spraying plaster and freezing water everywhere.

As Allen and I attempt to evade the assault, Lavi hopes down from his hammer and hoists it above his head.  
"Big hammer, little hammer: grow, grow, GROW!" he yells as the weapon expands to an even greater length and size. "Take this!" the Bookman yells as he swings the now gigantic device and smashes the Akuma and the building it was standing on to smithereens.

Allen and I gape.

"He just destroyed the entire building!" Allen exclaims just as Lavi drops down beside us.

"The nerve of those Akuma playing ball in the street," he says casually. "Now, let's get out of here while we still can; the street's the worst place to get stuck in a battle."

Allen nods, "Um, right."

"No complaints here," I add.

"Good," Lavi slams his hammer down, making another dent in the road. "Grab on," he urges, pointing to the handle.

"Okay," Allen gingerly takes hold.

I do as well.

"Big hammer, little hammer: EXTEND!" Lavi calls and the shaft of the hammer sporadically lengthens, stretching longer and longer as it curls over the rim of the buildings, skimming over rooftops and streaking towards the forest at the village end.

Allen screams and grips the hammer so tightly, his knuckles go white.

I yell as well, curling my legs around the handle for extra support, while Lavi rides along next to me, whooping and hollering the whole time.

Eventually, we made it to the woods. The hammer finally stopped extending and began shrinking back to its normal size. Lavi deposited Allen and me not to gently in the dirt, alighting down beside us.

Allen fell forward on his hands and knees, gasping heavily.

"Hey, you gonna throw up, Short Stack?" Lavi asks, casually swinging his hammer over his shoulder.

"It's Allen!"

"That weapon is incredible," I remark, hoisting myself to my feet.

Lavi smirks, "I know; I couldn't live without it."

"Doesn't it get heavy?" Allen inquires, finally seeming to have recovered, "Especially when it fully extends?"

"Not at all," Lavi replies, "It stays the same weight, no matter what its size."

"Wow." Allen looks amazed.

I look down at him, "Here." I hold out my hand, and he takes it, allowing me to pull him to his feet. "So, uh, what the hell happened to you back there?"

Allen blinks. "What?"

"Why did you wait for the Akuma to get so close? That will get you killed quick."

Allen doesn't answer.

Lavi glances at him, cocking his head to the side. "That left eye of yours can detect Akuma, right? I take it it's not working."

Allen doesn't answer, he just drops his eyes and looks a little queasy.

I find a twinge of something like sympathy somewhere in the pit of my stomach; that fear that I'd been detecting earlier, it must have been Allen realizing that his normal way of combating Akuma is no longer applicable due to his injured eye. That realization must have terrified him. I suppose one wouldn't realize just how much they rely on such a powerful asset until it is taken from them."

"If that's what's bugging you, then just do this: assume every person you meet is a bad guy," Lavi advises.

Allen looks horrified at this, "But that doesn't work; only a small portion of the population are actually Akuma!"

Lavi shakes his head, "Sure, you can say that, but here's the thing: I can see you're afraid of humans."

Allen's mouth parts as though he's about to protest, but he lowers his head.

"So, I'm right then," I proclaim, "It's due to how exposed you feel with normal sight."

Allen nods mutely.

"Look, just do what I do until your eyes fixed," I offer, "Don't trust anyone."

"That is how you deal with it," Lavi agrees, "You assume every person you meet is an Akuma. For most Exorcists, we're at a huge disadvantage; it's not like you with your all seeing eye. Akuma blend in so well with regular humans that there's no way we can pick them out in a crowd."

"My grandmother once said to me that every human is somehow a pawn: an ally to the Earl, one way or the other."

"But you can't just go around killing people because you don't trust them," Allen cries.

Lavi smirks, "You're right. That's why we wear these coats: they draw the Akuma closer to us and bring them out of hiding."

Allen's eyes widen, a gasp escaping his lips at the same moment it also leaves mine. His memories strike me with the intensity of a lightning bolt.

I am a child, tiny and afraid wearing a bulky mitten over my left arm to mask my deformities. Beside me walks a man big in both stature and stride with long dark red hair mixing with the billowing folds of his gold and black Exorcists coat: the coat of a General.

General Cross.

Bills chime in the distance as Allen and his master walk along the busy street. A group of girls eye them knowingly as they pass by, giggling and whispering amongst themselves.

 _There he is._

 _He's so handsome._

 _He really stands out in a crowd._

Allen eye them in bemusement before turning to Cross, _Master, I don't understand why you wear that coat; you're attracting a lot of attention._

 _Foolish apprentice, it's because I'm different then you, you idiot._

 _Huh?_

Then the scene changes. Night has fallen and the air was sharp with the tang of saltiness from the sea. The inky waves lapped against the docks, but their peaceful rhythm is suddenly disturbed as at least a dozen Akuma break to the surface in a shower of foam.

Allen cowers, _Master, this is exactly what I was afraid of! Now we're surrounded because of that coat._

 _What's the problem with that?_ Cross casually asks, striding forward.

The Akuma open fire and the air lights up with bullets.

Allen screams, throwing himself face down onto the pavement to avoid the assault.

After a short time, the noise stops and he looks up to see the Akuma's bloated and battered carcasses floating about in the surf like buoys.

Cross looks down at him, _I don't see any point in trying to hide from your enemy when your enemy is invisible_. As he speaks, he takes a long drag from a silver pipe, _This coat is a target, so I can suspect anyone who approaches me._

As quickly as they came, the memories fade and I'm back standing in the dark woods with Lavi and Allen.

The latter is looking at me knowingly.

"I'm sorry," I say to him, "I can't help it."

Allen doesn't seem all that bothered by my unintentional invasion of his privacy, looking more disturbed by something else entirely.

Lavi looks between us.  
"That was spooky."

"Allen, are you alright?" I ask as he claps a hand to his mouth, looking shaken.

"But aren't you always afraid?" he blurts out.

Lavi looks at him in alarm, before chuckling slightly, "To be honest, I'm more afraid of humans, because someone I'm good friends with today could be an Akuma tomorrow."

I nod in agreement, "Fight the dead; fear the living."

Lavi drops his eyes, that smile leaving his face and I'm suddenly filled with a familiar, mourning pain.  
"It happened quite recently, actually," he says to Allen and me, "A guy I knew turned into an Akuma; he and I had actually been close personal friends for some time. Don't get me wrong, it drives me nuts." He looks back to Allen, he smiles returning as quickly as it had left, "But listen, what other choice do I have? If destroying the Akuma keeps me alive, then so be it."

Allen grits his teeth, and I hear Cross's voice in my mind as it resonates with his:

 _You must be prepared to make yourself a target in order to protect the humans around you. Are you prepared to do that? Allen?_

 _Cas?_

My eyes widen, but I say nothing.

The sound of frantically approaching feet stops our conversation short.

Allen, Lavi and I all whirl around in time to see a crowd of villagers approaching us wearing costumes for the feast and carrying torches. There were also several police officers with them.

"They're over there!" a man in a wolf mask refers to the cops.

"Yes, those are the ones," agrees a woman in a purple witch hat.

"Get your hands up, right now!" one of the officers orders, drawing his weapon. He and his two cohorts close in on us.

"You. You're coming with me," another adds, grabing Allen's arm.

"Let go of him. What did we do?" I demand, snatching his arm away from Allen.

"That's enough out of you," the first cop thunders, pointing his gun in my face.

Lavi gently taps the weapon aside using his hammer.

The policeman's eyes widen.  
"He's an Exorcist!" he yell, his cry turning into a snarl as his skin crumbles away to reveal the metallic instruments of an Akuma.

Lavi chucks his hammer at him before he can launch an attack and he explodes into dust, startling the other two cops who also reveal themselves.

"Watch out!" Lavi yells.

The two remaining Akuma cock their machine gun arms. The crowd gasps behind them and the air is suddenly alive with the light and sound of gunfire.

"Get behind me!" I cry, shoving Allen and Lavi out of the way as I form a wall of Blood from my arms, shielding us from the bullets, they pepper my wall but do little real damage.

However, the rounds never end as they keep coming.

"We need to get the drop on them somehow," Lavi says over the sound of the shooting.

"Have fun with that," I reply through gritted teeth.

"Big hammer, little hammer: grow, grow, GROW!" Lavi expands his Anti-Akuma Weapon once more and brings it down on the Akuma.

The gun goes off one more time with a loud 'bang' as its owner is flattened. The second one tries to fire at Allen, who turns and deflects it at the last second before I slice him in half.

"You need to be quicker than that!" I urge.

"I will."

From out of the crowd, more Akuma appear, their faces twisting into weapons and masks of horror and twisted malice. They stalk towards us as Allen, Lavi, and I push together, back to back in the middle of the swarm.

 _This is fucking insane! I've never seen so many Akuma in one spot before._

Lavi strikes at the one closes to him, while I slice through several closing in on my left; Allen fashions his arm into a gun and lets loose a barrage of bullets into the crowd, taking out half the pack as well as several trees.

"Hey, nice shot!" Lavi commends a large tree branch crushes a few Akuma lingering in the back.

Allen nods in response before retracting his arm back to its claw form and rushing the swarm, slicing through every one he passes.

I spin on the spot, whirling around to face the crowd to our backs. With a grunt, I slam my hands down into the ground, my Blood pouring from my fists and seeping into the ground. It feathers out under the Akuma's feet before I jerk it up through my will alone, sharpening into spikes that shoot up from the ground and skewer each Akuma up on a pike where their inky, bloody bodies dangly absurdly.

An explosion goes off behind me, and I turn to see Lavi take out a few more as well as a large tree; Allen cuts open the remaining stranglers, and the wood lapses into a tense silence as all immediate threats are evaded.

Allen turns towards me, gasping heavily as his arm glows in the moonlight. I smile slightly at him, my Blood pooling up to my ankles around me.

Lavi pumps his fist. "Yeah! We got 'em."

A woman's scream makes us all jump and whirl around. It's the purple witch woman from before being held captive by the man in the wolf mask, which turns out to not be a mask.

"Help me! Please, somebody help me," the woman sobs.

Lavi raises his hammer, the wolf Akuma jerks his head towards it, distracting him long enough for me to send a Blood spear straight through his head.

With a howl, he crumples to the ground.

"Thank you so much," the woman exclaims, staggering forward, the tears still pouring thickly from her eyes.

Allen kneels before her, "Are you alright?"

Her response is to morph her face into a gun and point it at his head.

Allen's expression doesn't change, "Nice try."

He then blows her away.

Lavi and I rush over to him as the woman's shredded form falls to the ground.

"I'm fine," Allen says as we approach, standing up and turning towards us. As he does so, his bandage slips from his eye.

"Hey!" I grin as I reach forward and gently pluck it off.

Allen gapes in surprise, clapping a hand to his left eye before slowly removing it and opening it fully to reveal it had healed perfectly.

Lavi grins, "Looks like your eye healed up."

"Wow, that was fast, huh?" Allen remarks.

"Nothing a little of my Blood couldn't fix," I declare with a smirk.

Allen glances at me in surprise before it melts into a smile. "Thanks, Cas."

"No problem."

A suddenly flash of white sparks in the center of my vision. I look up in time to a flurry of snowflakes cascading down from the blue-black sky, drifting slow and silently around the darkened clearing.

"Hey, it's snowing!" Lavi exclaims, laughing as he sticks his tongue out to catch the falling flakes, Timcampy dancing about through the flurries. "Hey, you! Come back here!" Lavi laughs as he chases the tiny golem through the falling snow.

Allen smiles, looking up towards the dark heavens. "You gonna be alright, kid?" I ask him, throwing my arm around his shoulder and squeezing him slightly.

He nods, "I made the decision to take this path: the path of an Exorcist. I need to be prepared to wear this coat."

His words disturb me somewhat, but I don't let it show on my face as we stand there together, watching Lavi run about after Timcampy, and the snow dances around us.

* * *

Later that evening, I'm sitting on the hospital steps, wrapped in an extra comforter the nurse had brought me. The snow had stopped after only a light dusting, but it was still bitterly cold.

The feast celebrations had long since ended, and the village streets were still and silent.

I hug my arms tightly around myself, puffing on my pipe as I attempt to warm myself.

I don't even hear the door opening behind me.

"Can't sleep?" Lavi asks, settling down beside me.

"No, I just can't smoke during the day without someone catches me."

Lavi laughs, but his expression quickly turns somber as he glances at me, studying me with a kind of acute intensity in his eyes that sets me off right away.

"What?" I snap.

"Something's bothering you," Lavi declares. "What is it?"

I growl through gritted teeth, "Damn, you Bookman are too keen for your own good."

Lavi chuckles, "Part of the job description."

I glare at him.

"Seriously, what's bothering you?"

I sigh, "Nothing, really. It's just what Allen said earlier about his reasoning for being an Exorcist, lately I've just been getting this notion of," I trail off, my hands curling into fists. "I dunno."

"Are you in pain?"

I snort, "I don't _feel_ pain."

Lavi rolls his eyes, "I think you don't feel pain because you don't _want_ to. You think you're not strong enough to bear it."

His words dig into me and I round on him, "What the fuck would you know about that? I'm the empath, not you!"

Lavi studies me carefully, "You feel the emotions of others and yet you close yourself off from everyone you meet. How can you expect to function in this world if you can't develop yourself beyond this base point of non-feeling you find yourself in."

"Maybe you're right, maybe I don't want to feel."

"You have loved once, haven't you, Cassandra?" Lavi inquires knowingly. "We've all loved someone."

I scowl. "Please, my mother's a raging bitch, my father's not in the picture; I don't even know his name. My grandmother threw me out of the house after I murdered my girlfriend, and my girlfriend, well, she's dead."

"But you did love her?"

I scoff, "Yeah, maybe I did. Maybe the only tears I ever shed in my whole life were over her bloodied corpse. But what does that matter now?"  
I yank my pipe out of my mouth and jam the flam against my forearm, the faintest sensation of a response flickering in the back of my mind, "I opened myself up to her, body and soul, and looked what happened. She got herself killed. She's dead and gone, and it's like she never even existed.  
What we had was gone in the blink of an eye, no matter how much it might have mattered in that moment, in the end it disappeared like it never fucking happened!"

Lavi seems unfazed by my outburst.  
"You're right: humans are fragile," he says, "They die, and they're relationships die with them, but that doesn't mean there's no value in them or that the effects they had on you don't remain even when they're lost. If given the choice, you have to surround yourself with people that love you because, win or lose, in the end it's worth it. Believe me, or why did you become an Exorcist?"

I'm somewhat startled at the question, mostly because it had never been asked of me before. "It was just something to do," I finally say, "To shut out all the noise, to get away from all the nonsense. It's the only thing someone like me really _can_ do. I can't pretend I can have a normal life, not anymore," I stop, taking a deep breath. "But it was just supposed to be a job."

"And now it isn't?"

 _Thanks, Cas._

 _Will you sing for me, Cas?_

 _You would really think so little of me that I wouldn't keep the secret of the person who saved my life?_

 _I think you're amazing._

 _Allen…_

"I think that answers my question," Lavi declares, getting to his feet.

I look up at him in surprise, my unlit pipe clasped between my fingers.

He returns my gaze, his expression stern. "You have a choice, Cassandra," he declares, "Not everyone does."

"Well, there's no one else like me."

Lavi regards me sternly, "You speak as if you weren't human."

"I'm not."

* * *

A/N: Take that last line as you will. And yes Cas did quote the Walking Dead. It came back last night and I was in the mood.

I hope you enjoyed and thanks once again for all the support :)


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I know I'm a little early this week, but I managed to get this chapter out quick thanks to a half day at school and a burst of inspiration. I might even update again tomorrow at my usual time, so stay tuned on that. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 14: The Leaf of Revival

* * *

Jeryy is in a good mood this morning.

"I'd like cream stew, pot stickers, omelet with mushrooms, green beans and steak, fried rice, and a Caesar salad," Allen is rattling off while the flamboyant chef leans over the counter, hanging on to his every word.

"I'll have mushroom noodles, pork rinds, pop overs, chicken tortillas, eggs and bacon, breaded cod, and blueberry scones," I add after a moment's thought.

"Then cream puffs and chocolate chip pancakes for dessert," Allen finishes.

I grin, "Make it a double on that."

Jeryy smirks knowingly, "And these are large portions?"

Allen and I nod vigorously. "Uh huh!"

The Black Order chef giggles gleefully, "Coming right up! Oh, it's so fun to cook for you two."

With that, he turns had heads over to the many stoves already sizzling with various meals and dishes from all corners of the world. The mixing of dozens of delectable smells is mesmerizing, and it makes my empty stomach growl all the louder.

"Hey." I turn to see Allen's grinning at me. "You look good," he says.

I smirk, "You think so? I thought I'd give this new outfit a whirl." Today I was dressed in something a little atypical compared to my usual attire consisting of a double breasted black waist coat with white buttons over a brown pleated mini-skirt, grey tights, and black knee-high lace up boots. Completing the ensemble is a grey newsboy cap with my long red hair plaited into two braids that drape across my shoulders.

"You really are talented," Allen remarks as we gather up our trays.

"Thanks."

As we turn away from the ordering window, I catch a glimpse of Lavi waving to us from a table across the room where he is sitting with Bookman.

I smile in acknowledgement before we both hurry over to join them.

Allen and I have barely gotten settled in the empty seats across from the two Bookmen before we dig whole heartedly into our meals, downing all six trays of food in a matter of minutes.

I burp into my handkerchief while Allen leans back in his chair, patting his stomach in satisfaction.  
"That was fantastic!" he exclaims.

Lavi is gaping at us.  
"Whoa, you two have quite the appetite."

"Parasite-type Exorcists need a lot of fuel because they tend to expel more energy than normal," Bookman calmly explains over the rim of his tea mug.

"I'll say."

I smile as I take a sip of my coffee.  
"Glad to see you two got back okay. That assignment was a long one."

Lavi nods.  
"I'll say; we've been gone nearly two weeks, and the weather's been real lousy."

"It does no good to complain," Bookman sniffs.

"It does no harm either," Lavi replies with a cheeky grin.

"How's Lenalee doing?" the older man then inquires.

I shrug, "She's alright. Still not awake, but the Head nurse says she's improving."

"That is good," Bookman declares.

Allen nods in agreement before a Finder, whose name I've forgotten taps him on the shoulder.

"Allen? Cas?" he says as we turn towards him. He gestures towards the door with his thumb, "New mission. Report to Chief Komui."

With that, he walks off.

Allen and I exchange a glance.

"Well," I say before tipping back my cup and downing the rest of my hot coffee, "At least I got to finish my meal first."

* * *

When we arrive in Komui's office, it is the same as ever: the desk and surrounding floor are flooded with hundreds of documents all yellowed and crumpled beyond recognition under one's feet. The Chief himself is lounging in his chair, glasses pushed down to the edge of his nose, beret slightly to the side, usual blue and pink bunny coffee mug in hand. He smiles at us as we enter.

However, there is one very obvious change that I pick up on right away upon entering the office.

"Kanda!" My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline as the tall, dark, perpetually pissed off Exorcist turns to glower at me and Allen over his shoulder.

"Uh, sorry we're late," Allen adds, faltering slightly under Kanda's glare.

Komui chuckles at the exchange, "How do you feel about cold weather? How about heat?"

"Uh, what?" I ask.

"I'm fine with either, I guess," Allen adds.

"Well, then you'll be perfect for this next assignment," Komui declares.

"And what is that exactly?" I ask, meeting Kanda's gaze once more.

He scowls at me; I stick my tongue out at him.

"We've learned of a village experiencing abnormal weather conditions," Komui answers my question. "It's snowing one minute, the next brings blazing hot winds."

"That's strange; what's the cause?" Allen inquires.

"Maybe Mother Nature's on her period," I offer.

"We believe the cause is Innocence, of course," Komui declares. "Now, you, Cas, and Kanda are to retrieve it, as a team of course."

I scowl, crossing my arms. "Oh yeah, because that worked out so well the _last_ time."

"Oh please," Komui waves his hand dismissively, "You three are a dynamite trio!"

"Don't say that," Kanda grumbles before turning and heading for the door, "Now c'mon you two."

Allen sighs dramatically before hurrying to catch up with Kanda's much longer strides, me not far behind.

* * *

The underground canal is lit by only a single lantern, so I nearly kill myself coming down the old steps towards the docks as I fumble with the clasps of my Exorcist cloak.

We'd barely gotten ourselves settled in the gondola when:

"What are you doing here?" Kanda snaps.

I glance up in time to see Lavi and Bookman melt out of the darkness towards us.

Lavi holds up a hand, unfazed by Kanda's crass greeting. "Didn't ya know? We're coming too."

Kanda rolls his eyes as they both clamber into the boat between Allen and me, "How annoying."

"Oh, now don't say that," Lavi chides, "We can all work together on this, Yu."

Kanda's nostrils flare. "Do _not_ call me that!"

"I'm sure we'll be glad to have your help," Allen quickly interjects before Kanda has a chance to knock Lavi overboard, the former of which is still glaring furiously.

I groan, hugging myself as I slump down in my seat, "Great, this entire trip is going to be me third-wheeling at the international dick-measuring competition."

As Allen pushes away from the dock and begins rowing along the dark water, out of the corner of my ear, I hear Bookman lean over and whisper to Lavi: "This is the perfect chance for us to confirm with our own eyes whether these youngsters are Hevlaska's Destroyer of Time and Creator of Space."

"Yeah."

I quirk an eyebrow at this, but don't say anything as we continue on.

* * *

The train whistle echoes through the white void of snow that bombards the engine as it hurtles through the storm. It's practically a white-out outside, with nothing to see past the torrent of wind and ice. Allen is half asleep in the window seat beside me. I'm sitting with my legs propped up on the bench across from me, smoking away on my pipe.

Lavi had found a means of amusing himself by asking me how to say stupid phrases in German.

"How do you say 'dirty socks'?"

"Schmutzigen socken."

"How do you say 'bubblegum underpants'?"

I close my eyes with a sigh, "Bubblegum-unterhose."

Lavi snorts with laughter, "Really?"

From the seat behind him, Kanda growls as he whirls around.  
"How do you say 'annoying red-haired idiots better shut the fuck up before I stick my sword up their nose like a shish kebab'?"

"Argerlich rothaarige idiots herunter besser die fresse bevor ich mein schwert stecken ihre nase wie ein schaschlik," I reply without missing a beat.

Kanda glares at me; I calmly return his gaze, unperturbed.

"Tell me, Boy Toy: is your default emotion 'pole-up-the-ass'?"

Kanda draws his sword on me while Lavi roars with laughter.

"Boy Toy! Did you seriously just call Yu a boy toy?"

"You're next, Eyepatch, so shut your hole!" Kanda thunders.

"C'mon, Yu; take a pill."

"Call me that again, and I'll snap your neck!"

I roll my eyes. "You can smell the testosterone," I say as I raise my arm to move Kanda's Mugen out of my face.

This action causes a dozing Allen's head to fall into my lap.

"Gah!" He cries, sitting up and whipping his head from side to side, blinking rapidly. "What happened? Are we there yet?"

He stares, confused as he drinks in the sight of Lavi and Kanda still yelling at each other.

"I think Bookman had the right idea sleeping with the luggage."

* * *

Finally, we make it to our destination. The storm has gotten even worse by this point. I can barely see my nose at the end of my face as we exit the train, and the wind is so harsh the flecks of falling ice feel like bits of steel hitting my raw cheeks.

Our Finder is waiting for us at the station, all bundled up in extra layers of the signature beige cloaks.  
"Glad to see you made it," he shouts over the wind, "I'm your finder; the name's Michael."

He holds out his hand.

I shake it, and Allen's about to do the same when a particularly strong gust of wind blows Timcampy, who'd been nesting in his hair like a bird, off his head.

"Whoa!" Allen quickly snatches the tiny golem out of the air. "You've got to be more careful, Tim."

"This is really nasty," Lavi adds to Michael as the Finder helps him and Bookman carry our luggage into the station's main building. "Should we wait it out here until the storm dies down?"

"There's no guarantee that it actually _will_ die down," he replies.

Wordlessly, Kanda gets up and heads out of the building and back into the blizzard.

"Hey! Are you going to search?" Allen calls after him.

"Of course I'm going to search; that's why we were sent here," he snaps, "I'm not going to waste time sitting around."

"But-" Allen starts to protest, but Kanda cuts him off.

"Don't worry about it. Look, why don't you just wait here and build a snowman or something, Short Stack?"

Allen's brow furrows. "I'm coming with you."

"In that case, we might as well all go," I add before turning to the others all huddled in the warm glow of the doorway. "C'mon guys; we're gonna fight through it."

The wind is rough. Even I can feel it against my face, and it's something akin to getting swarmed by hornets; the noise of the storm is deafening, like a perpetual explosion going off around you, and it blows with such force that it nearly knocks you off your feet.

And just our luck we have to go _into_ the wind.

We struggle along as the snow builds up around our knees. Kanda strides along in the lead with me following close behind along with Allen, and Lavi, Bookman, and Michael bringing up the rear.

Allen staggers along, gritting his teeth as he holds his hand up to try and shield his face.

I give him a reassuring smile. "Chin up, kid."

"This sucks!" Lavi calls from behind me, his voice half-muffled by his orange scarf covering to his mouth, "How are you not freezing, Cassandra?"

"My Blood's heating me," I reply, slowing up a bit so as to walk beside him, "I think I'm running about a hundred and four degree fever right now." For emphasis, I take off my glove and press it to Lavi's half-frozen forehead, so that he can register the difference in temperature.

His eyes widen, "Oh wow! You weren't kidding."

"Being able to manipulate your physical functions in order to better your endurance of a rapidly changing environment," Bookman muses, "You have the perfect body, Cassandra."

" _Nearly_ perfect," I correct, "And it's Cas."

Beside us, Lavi trips and falls flat on his face in the snow. He sits up, gasping as his scarf falls away from his mouth to show that his lips are blue.  
"This is going to be one of those stories where we all freeze to death, and they don't find our bodies until spring!"

"Like these two?" Kanda calmly remarks.

"What?" I rush forward, along with Allen, to find two people lying face down together in the snow. One appears to be the body of a large man, layered several times over in bulky winter gear. The other is a young girl, dressed in the same manner. They're carrying packs on their backs filled with gear, and ski pools lie limply at their sides.

"Sir? Sir! Can you hear me?" Allen asks, dropping to his knees beside the man.

"Hey, you alright?" I add, genuflecting in the snow beside the girl. Gently, I reach down and lift her tiny body up. She's young: around Allen's age. Her hair is golden blonde and her eyes, although half-closed are a robin's egg blue. Her face is pale as death and bitterly cold.

"Alright," I announce, sliding off my glove once more, "Sorry about this sweetheart: it's going to taste awful, but it might save your life." I then bit down hard into my middle finger, the familiar taste of my Blood exploding in my mouth.

I quickly tilt the girl's head back and lower the dripping digit over her mouth, allowing the scarlet fluid to spill between her partially parted lips. She gulps a few drops down before convulsing, choking forcefully.

"That ought to keep you warm."

The girl's eyes flutter. She shifts somewhat in my arms. "Is my father alright?" she whispers weakly.

I look to Allen for an answer.

"I think so."

"We should carry them to shelter immediately," Bookman declares.

"We-We've been staying at a nearby inn," the girl stammers.

"Don't worry," Allen reassures her, "We'll take you there." He then turns to me, "You better do the man too: he looks to be in worse shape."

I nod mutely, passing the girl to Lavi before hurrying over to the man, turning him on his side and repeating the process. He is older with a hard, lined face like withered stone; his hair is salt grey with a matching moustache.

"If you're taking them back then I'll keep going," Kanda announces.

Allen gapes at him, opening his mouth as though to protest.

"What?" Kanda snaps at him, "I'm pretty sure they don't need all five of us to rescue them from some snow."

With that, he turns and continues on.

"Hey! Wait!" Allen makes a move after him, but I grip his arm to hold him back.

"Let him be. Kanda can look after himself; let's just focus on getting these people to safety."

"In the meantime, I'll go with Kanda," Michael declares, shouldering his mobile phone backpack and heading off after our fellow Exorcist.

"We'll catch up to you," Allen calls after him.

I glance up just in time to see the beige and black and white coats vanish into the white abyss of the storm.

* * *

Finding the inn is less trouble then I'd thought it would be. It's a tiny but homey little cabin, half buried in the large drifts. The rooms are warm and inviting, and Allen and I hurry about carrying blankets and stocking the fire in the hopes of restoring the man and girl.

Upon first arriving, we'd settled them each in one of the twin beds nestled against each wall. The girl became lucid first and sat up, blinking in the dim light of the candle beside her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Allen asks, hurrying over to her bedside.

"Fine, thank you," the girl replies, smiling slightly. "You were so kind to help us."

Bookman, meanwhile, is seated in a chair beside the man's bed, experimentally tapping a silver needle along his large hand.

"Is that acupuncture?" I inquire curiously, leaning in for a closer look.

"Yes, although I don't believe it will be necessary," Bookman replies, "It seems this gentleman has avoided frostbite."

"Well, that's good."

As I speak, Lavi sidles into the room carrying a tray with two steaming bowls of hot chowder.

"I asked the landlord's wife to make something warm for you," he says to the girl, setting the tray down on the table between the two beds.

"You didn't have to," the girl exclaims, "Father," she turns to the man, now awake and lying still in the bed, staring up at the ceiling with an expression almost as cold as the snow outside, "Father? See how good it looks?"

He doesn't respond. Man of few words I guess.

Allen takes my hand, "C'mon, we should leave them be."

"Right," I turn back to the girl, "We'll be right downstairs, holler or whatever if you need anything."

With that, we leave.

When we return to the main dining area, we find the landlord's wife has started a fresh pot of chowder. The broth really did smell delicious and Allen, Bookman, Lavi, and I are more than happy to indulge along with steaming mugs of hot chocolate as we all settle down at the table for supper.

"What do you suppose a father and daughter are doing out in weather like this?" Allen wonders aloud as he slurps his chowder.

The landlady, who'd been adding fresh wood to the fireplace, turns to look at him. "I know why: they went looking for the Leaf of Revival, just like everyone else is doing."

I raise an eyebrow. "The Leaf of Revival?"

"Yes, it's a legend around these parts."

Lavi chokes on his drink, "The Teeth of Revival?"

"Not teeth, _leaf_ , dumbass," I snap.

"The Leaf of Revival is a peculiar and mysterious item that appears in Norse Mythology," Bookman explains, "Legend has it that the hero Sigmund originally discovered it; the Leaf can supposedly restore to life those taken before their time. It is said that families around the world have been looking for the Leaf of Revival for hundreds of years without success. Even today, many still search for it."

I set down my empty chowder bowl and light my pipe, puffing on it thoughtfully, "Seems a bit odd for people to still believe in such a thing in this day and age," I muse.

"It's hard to believe that some poor people are still looking for that thing," the landlady agrees. "And for some bothersome reason, every time they come around here, the weather turns on his head."

Allen's eyes widen. He and I exchange a glance.  
"You don't say?"

* * *

A few hours later, the late afternoon sky is a clear, cloudless blue. The azure heavens shine with a kind of glow that only summer can typically bring as though oblivious to the storm that had just rocked the landscape to its core.

"It's cleared up!" Allen remarks as we step outside.

A sudden blast of hot air bombards our bodies, nearly knocking us backwards. It's a little like being submerged in hot bath water.

"Is it just me or is this wind kinda warm?" Lavi asks, squinting through the steaming haze.

I'm about to respond when a sudden clump of snow breaks off from the roof and lands right on my head. I shriek as the soggy, freezing substance slithers down my neck.

Lavi and Allen laugh as I flail about, flapping my arms and yanking off my newsboy cap in an attempt to shake the snow off.

"It's not funny!" I cry as the two boys continue to chuckle.

"Yeah, it kinda is," Allen replies, sniggering slightly.

"Kid, you wound me," I exclaim, whipping flecks of ice from my bangs.

Allen smiles apologetically before turning to Lavi. "Hey, where's Bookman?"

"He said he was tired and went to go lie down," he replies simply, "I think this extreme weather's getting to him; I tend to forget that old panda's age sometimes."

"Well," I glance up at the sky, "It's not too late; we should probably start searching."

Allen nods in agreement, "The wind seems to be coming from that direction," he points down a hill that slopes into a line of thick pines, "If we follow it, we should reach its source."

Lavi whistles, "Well, aren't you a smart one."

I laugh, "Yeah, he's not just a pretty face."

Allen blushes heavily just as the door opens, and the girl from before steps out.

"Hello, how are you?" the latter asks brightly. "I'm sorry again for all the trouble we caused you yesterday."

"No problem," I reply, winking at her, "By the way, I don't think I ever caught your name."

The girl smiled sweetly, "It's Elda, and my father's is Frey."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to come back outside so soon?" Allen asks her.

"We'll manage," the man called Frey replies gruffly, appearing behind Elda with two sets of skis, "I won't let you and your friends find the Leaf before we do."

"Oh, um, we aren't really looking-" Allen starts, but the man cuts him off.

"Go get ready, right now," he says to his daughter, handing her a pair of skis.

She nods before they head off towards the edge of the slope.

Allen, Lavi, and I watch as the two strap on the skis, grab their poles and then take off over the cusp of the hill, streaking along the angled plane at a surprisingly fast pace.

"Whoa!" Lavi cries, "Where can we get some of those?"

Allen grimaces.

It is actually pretty easy to locate three more pairs of skis from a shed behind the inn. The tricky part soon proves figuring out how they work; fortunately, Lavi and I seem to pick it up pretty quickly.

Allen on the other hand…

"AUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!" the poor flails helplessly as he rockets down the hill at top speed, clearing well past Elda and her father and toppling over, head over skis, to finally come crashing against a tree at the bottom of the cliff.

"Kid!" Lavi and I race down after him.

As we approach, Allen sits up, groaning, "Well, that was a miserable failure."

"You still in one piece?" Lavi asks him.

Allen nods; I hold out a hand to help him to his feet; he staggers somewhat, shaking the snow out of his hair.

"Hey, you're like an Artic hare," I exclaim, reaching up to brush some lingering frost out of his already white hair, "You'll blend right in."

"You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" Elda asks as she and her father come up behind us.

"No, I'm fine."

"Well, that's good."

"Listen," Lavi turns to her, "We were told that not even the locals will set foot beyond this point; those woods are very dangerous."

Allen nods in agreement, "Maybe you two should head back to the inn."

Elda nervously glances over her shoulder at the dark line of trees, seemingly agreeing with us.

"And what are you three planning on doing then?" Frey demands, "While we're stuck at the inn, you're going to go and take the Leaf all to yourselves, aren't you?"

"That's not-" I start, but the man cuts me off. "Let's go Elda."

"Sir, with all due respect, we aren't searching for the Leaf of Revival," Allen calmly asserts as he bends down to retie his skis, "I can't tell you what it is we're searching for, but Lavi, Cas and I are Exorcists: clergymen gifted with the power to destroy Akuma."

Elda's eyes widen, "Exorcists?"

"Akuma?" Frey scoffs, "Please, those creatures don't even exist."

I scowl, "Excuse me, but aren't you the ones searching for the so called 'Leaf of Revival'," I frame the last phrase in finger quotations.

"Listen to me, sir," Allen continues to implore the man, "You really should go back, trying to revive a person you've lost will only lead to regret, and there is an evil presence in this world that will try and take advantage of those desires."

"And what would you know of it, boy?" Frey thunders.

"Father, please," Elda implores.

"Forget it, kid," I say to him, "Let's go. C'mon, Lavi," I gesture to them. Allen nods, attempting to stand up again on his skis, but he slips and does an awkward half-split.  
"Oh for God's sake," I exclaim as I snag him by his hood and hoist him back up, "Keep your body centered and your balance will be better, legs partially apart, shoulders squared," I instruct, nudging Allen's body in certain places until his posture is correct. "There. See?"

Allen seems too busy blushing to really be paying attention.

"If you're settled, Allen; we should probably make a move on," Lavi says to him.

"Yeah," the other boy replies thickly, "Alright."

We then take off along the uneven ground towards the dark shadow of the forest.

Allen slips again just as we break the treeline.

"Square your shoulders!" I call over his shoulder as the tall, dark pines close in around us.

* * *

It wasn't long before the blizzard started back up again; the sky darkened the color of steel and the snow exploded up from the ground, cycling violently around us as though it intended to close in and swallow us up into a void.

Allen, Lavi, and I draw up short in the middle of the clearing, shielding our eyes as we squinted through the wind.

"How can a hot wind turn into this?" Allen shouts over the bluster.

"Unbelievable," Lavi agrees.

I scan what I can see of the trees thoughtfully, "I wonder where Kanda is and that Finder, Michael. Do you think he's alright?"

"I'm more worried about us at the moment," Lavi admits.

"Look!" Allen points over my shoulder, and I turn just in time to see Elda and her father coming into view out of the trees. They are still several yards back, but it's evident they've been following us since we started. "Maybe we should stop for now," Allen advises, "If we keep going and they don't make it, we're just going to end up having to carry them back to the inn on our backs all over again."

"I agree with the kid, I don't have any more energy to be nice today," I grumble.

Lavi nods in agreement.

Eventually, we happen upon a ditch at the edge of a clearing, nestled under two particular shady trees, which provided shelter from the snow and wind. The ditch isn't deep, so we all crowd into it, Elda and her father joining us. The latter gets a fire going from some loose timber he was keeping in his pack while the former takes out a thermos and pours us all some hots drinks.

"Here." She offers one to Allen.

"Oh, thank you."

"You're really prepared," Lavi remarks as Elda hands a drink to him and me as well.

"Since my father prefers to do so many things on his own, I decided to learn as many helpful ways of supporting him as I can," she explains. "Here," she then passes another cup to her father.

He accepts it, not looking at her. "You shouldn't talk to them," is his only response.

"Oh, and why's that?" I snap. Allen places a hand on my arm.

"Excuse me, but you're the one's following us," I'm surprised at the sharpness in his tone.

Frey eyes him coldly.

The whole atmosphere is cold, not just the storm but the breath that passes between our icy words. The only warm being the gently crackling of the fire before us.

"Father, why don't you try to get some sleep?" Elda advises, gently placing a blanket around her father's shoulders, "At least until the storm calms down, alright?"

The man says nothing in response, but he accepts the blanket and stiffly closes his eyes.

"She really _is_ well-prepared," Lavi remarks, "Hey, you realize if we get lost we're gonna have to cuddle or something," he adds, grinning cheekily at me.

I shove his face away, "Get over yourself."

* * *

I don't really remember falling asleep, but when I awake our campfire is nothing but a pile of charred ashes. The sky is ablaze with sunrise, and the air is just as fiery.

I can feel its heat on my face as I clamber up out of the ditch, careful not to disturb the sleeping forms of my comrades, Elda, and her father.

As I straighten up and look out into the woods, still dark in the early dawn, I can't help but feel slightly anxious about Kanda and Michael, wondering if they managed to find shelter for the night.

Then again, I suppose my worry is wasted on them; Kanda's may be stubborn, but he's no idiot and Finders are trained to survive.

I'm sure they're fine.

"Hey, you're awake," Allen quietly calls to me. I turn in time to see him and Lavi cautiously scramble out of the ditch.

"What time is it?" Lavi asks, stifling a yawn.

I pull out my pocket watch from the folds of my clock, brushing strands of my braids as they start to untangle out of my face, "Almost five," I finally say, tucking the watch back into my pocket.

"We should probably start moving before they wake up," Allen says, gesturing to Elda and Frey, "Maybe if they wake up to find us gone, they'll give up and head back to where it's safe."

I sigh, "Somehow I doubt it will be that simple."

"Please feel free to go on ahead, if you wish," Elda calls to us.

We all whirl around in surprise to find her standing behind us on the edge of the ditch. I hadn't even noticed her waking up.

"Don't worry about us, we'll manage just fine. And I'm so sorry for all the rude things my father has said to you."

"It's okay," Allen assures her.

"Don't tell him," Elda whispers, "But I don't believe the Leaf of Revival actually exists. I'm just…hoping that this will make him feel better. He's been really hard on himself ever since the day my brother died."

"So, it's your brother he hopes to revive with the Leaf," I surmise.

Elda nods. "You see, our house had caught fire; the four of us, we were all living there together, but my brother Jacob was born with bad legs, and he couldn't-" she faltered, and I could see tears brimming in her blue eyes, "My father tried to go in after him, despite the flames being much too high. He tried to go in, but I…I stopped him. Since then, my mother has been confined to her bed, and father has so many regrets he can't even look at me." As she looks at us, a small, sad smile appears on her lips, "I won't stop him again; I give him the freedom to do what he wants. As much as I'm able, I want to spare father more heart ache. He'd read that the hero Sigmund accidentally caused his own son's death, but then was able to revive him by placing the Leaf upon the boy's chest; that's how it all started."

Before any of us can respond, we hear Frey call to his daughter from inside the pit.

"Elda!" he clambers up over the ridge, carrying their skis and other gear.

He doesn't look at us, and Elda only gives us a small, over the shoulder glance as they pack up their supplies and strap on their skis.

I watch them, "I suppose we can't prevent you from following us."

Frey doesn't answer, but the look he gives me is enough of a response.

"Well then," I declare as Lavi hands me my own skis, "Try to keep up."

* * *

Despite the steadily rising soon, the forest is still dark and cold. The hot winds begin to die down as Allen, Lavi, Elda, Frey, and I move swiftly along the frozen ground, skiing in between the trees and bushes.

We are just coming to the bottom of a particuliarly steep hill, on which Allen nearly whipped out several times, when I detect a flash of movement somewhere amongst the thick trunks.

"Hold up!" I raise a hand as I signal to stop, and my comrades pull up around me.

"What is it?" Frey demands.

As he speaks, three people melt out of the gloom.

They are two men: one tall and broad, the other short and plump, and a woman in a purple dress with long white hair. Despite the cold weather, none of them are dressed very warmly.

That is evidence enough.

"I'm afraid we're completely lost," the woman exclaims, coming a few paces closer to us, her plastic smile shining in the early morning light.

"Yeah, would you mind we joined up with you?" the shorter man adds.

"We're lucky we found you; we don't know what we would have done if we were stranded out here by ourselves," the woman continues.

"You forget how easy it is to lose your way in the dark," the taller man agrees.

"Ain't that the truth," the shorter man chuckles, "If you would just point us in the direction of the main road, we'd appreciate it."

Allen's eye darkens, "You're all Akuma; show yourselves."

Lavi smirks, "Did I mention how happy I am your eye's healed up? It really comes in handy."

"I know right," I exclaim.

The woman chuckles, "Well, I guess we have no choice."

Her skin morphs, inflating like a balloon before it explodes in a shower of black tentacles. The two men do the same; their backs tearing open as their true bodies emerge from their fleshy prisons.

The Akuma rear up in their full forms: one of the man a kind of steel dragon, the other has a large blue head full of bulging white eyes; the woman looks the most human with pink skin, shielded eyes and a tail shaped like a snowflake.

Oddly appropriate.

The Akuma leer down at us. They are all Level IIs.

Elda screams.

"What the hell is that?" Frey yells.

"Just stay back," Allen calls to them.

"Tell us where the Innocence is!" Googly-Eyes thunders.

"Did you honestly think we'd tell you?" I snap, rolling my eyes, "You pimple-headed shit."

"What did you say!" the Akuma rears before firing out a series of glowing shard bullets from the many guns protruding from its body.

They streak past my head, disturbing my still partially braided hair. Lavi and Allen crouch down as the bullets explode upon impact with the ground while Elda and her father dash for the trees.

A second blast collides father from me, snow sprays up all around us, temporarily obscuring my vision. As it begins to clear, I see Allen fall to the ground, his skis flying through the air.

"Kid!" I run forward as Lavi steps in front of us.

"Big Hammer, Little Hammer!" he yells, swinging his Weapon through the air. It collides with the painted white face on the forehead of the Steel Dragon. He's knocked backward in a shower of snow.

"You bastard!" He rears his head back and fires a barrage of ice shards directly at Allen and me.

The former glances up, blinking in a daze. "Time to move," I announce, grabbing his arm and elongating my Blood out of my legs to create stilts to carry us above the range of the attack.

"Cas, throw me!" Allen yells as Lavi dives for the Akuma a second time.

I oblige, and Allen slides from my grip as his left arm is consumed in light. Lavi knocks Steel Dragon in the chest, while Allen fires a round of his gold bullets at its head. One of them strikes its painted mask at the top of its brow, stunning it.

I go in for the kill, twisting my Blood around its legs as it stumbles backward. It gives way under my pressure and falls to the ground with a loud crash.

Snowflake-Tail swoops over our heads. "That was quite the show, but I wonder where you're little friends are hiding." Her steely gaze eyes Elda and Frey cowering in the trees.

"Don't you dare!" I yell, rushing towards her. My Blood hardens into spears around my arms, and I jump up to strike her. As I raise my weapon, a sudden blast of frozen water and sleet erupts from the female Akuma's chest. It hits me head on, and I fly back into the ground, smacking against a tree.

Fireworks go off in my brain, and I faintly hear Allen yell my name.

Dazed, I slump to the ground; vigorously shaking my head as I try to clear it.

"Cas, you alright?" I open my eyes to find Allen kneeling beside me.

"What the…She shoots snow out of her _tits_!" I slur, gripping my head, "Why is my life so weird?!"

Meanwhile, Lavi takes a swipe at Googly-Eyes; he sinks under the snow and reappears on the other side of him.

The Bookman whirls around, "Allen, behind you!"

Allen barely has time to react before Googly-Eyes blasts him to the side. He cries out as he is sent flying through the air to land in a heap in the snow.

"Kid!" I turn on the Akuma, and swipe at him with my Blood blade. He dodges it easily: cackling as he sinks beneath the snow.

Allen tumbles into Snowflake-Tail's range, and she bombards him with another frigid blast. Allen screams as the sub-zero temperatures collide with his body. His knees buckle as frost begins to build up on his sopping clothes.

"Kid!" I turn away from Googly-Eyes, catching a glimpse of Elda and Frey crouched in a ditch not to far from the lady Akuma.

"Cas!" Allen calls to me, "Take Elda and Frey and get them out of here!" He crumples to his knees, still being assaulted by the frozen liquid.

Behind me, Lavi throws his Hammer at Steel Dragon; the Akuma catches it, and hurls it over his shoulder, taking Lavi with it.

"Lavi!" I yell as he falls out of sight.

"Allen!" I hear Elda cry.

Allen is lying on his stomach, buried deep in the snow and ice. He isn't moving.

Images of darkness and blood race through my mind, and I'm not even thinking as I race towards him.

"Stay where you are!" I yell to Elda as she tries to run to him as well. "Kid!" I shoot out a Blood whip. Allen grabs at it weakly. I brace myself to pull him out, but Googly-Eyes suddenly fires another round of gunfire. Allen is struck in the chest and collapses in an unmoving heap; I'm hit the back and I drop to one knee, my Blood dissolving as I fall.

"Cas!" Elda cries.

"Foolish girl," Snowflake-Tail chuckles, and I feel her long pink tail slither out and coil around my neck. It tightens and I gasp, feeling the pressure against my windpipe as she lifts me off the ground. I can hear Lavi struggling behind me as I try to wrench free from her grip. My hands claw desperately at her tail as she continues to crush my throat. Through the haze, I see Allen lying motionless in the snow.

Then something flashes out of the corner of my eye.

"Mugen, bring forth Calamity! First Illusion: Netherworld Creatures!"

I close my eyes in relief.

 _God bless him._

There is a bright flash and a swarm of bug-eyed wraiths as Snowflake-Tail is struck with the full force of the attack. Her hold is loosened on me, and I fall to my knees in the snow.

I look up, gripping my throat in time to see Kanda slice his blade once, twice, three time through each Akuma.

Steel-Dragon howls, his body steaming. "Retreat!"

He and his other Akuma then turn and fly off, vanishing into the darkness of the forest.

"Yeah! Yu is here!" Lavi calls, coming up behind me.

I smirk, "Good timing, Gorgeous."

Kanda stoically sheaths his sword. "Shut up."

Then I remember.

 _Allen._

I jump to my feet, Lavi alongside me, as I rush over to the place Allen had fallen.

The young Bookman gets there first as he drops to his knees and gently lifts Allen up from the snow.

His skin is chalk white and his clothes are stiff with frozen water. His lips are blue and his eyes heavy. They flutter slightly as Lavi props him up.

"Is he alright!" I ask, approaching them.

As I speak, Allen opens his eyes. "Hey, there he is!" Lavi exclaims with a smile.

Allen clenches his teeth, and I then notice that they are violently chattering. His whole form starts shaking and convulsing in Lavi's grasp.

"Allen? Allen, what's wrong?!"

I feel my heart drop into my stomach, and my vision tunnels as I close the space between Lavi and Allen and me seemingly in slow motion.

"Allen!"

* * *

A/N: Yay Kanda for saving the day! And Cas is freaking out about Allen! I'll hopefully have the next chapter up soon so you'll find out what happens next. :)

Just a side note: I won't be doing the Millennium Swordsman Arc because its filler, and not very good filler at that, also I felt it dragged a bit too much and I want to keep things moving. So we'll be marching right on into the Vampire Castle Arc after this mini saga is wrapped up. Stay tuned.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The End of the Snowstorm

* * *

Don't panic.

Stop it! Don't panic. You don't know _how_ to panic.

I didn't really know how to process this as I'd never exactly lost my shit like this before.

I stand stalk still, my body covered in flaking snow, my feet numb from the knee-high drifts. My breath is hitching in my throat, my clammy palms curling into fists.

Vaguely, I get a notion that someone is tugging on my arm, yelling at me, but their voice sounds so far away, echoing into obscurity in the back of my mind.

It's like after an explosion: everything shatters into silence, and the only thing that matters is the focusing on that single point that caused said explosion while everything else falls away around it.

Lavi is lifting Allen up onto his back; he is shaking so violently I can see it even though I'm still several feet away. He's choking forcefully, his voice coming out ragged.

His speech is slurred as he starts a senseless babbling; Lavi tries to calm him down, but I can see he's close to losing it as well.

"Cas!" Slowly, I turn my head to the side as my name breaks through the wall of my shock. Beside me, Elda is gripping my arm. "Cas, please!" Her eyes are pleading as she looks up at me.

I look at her, then back to Allen.

And then I snap into action.

"Lavi!" I call, racing over to him with Elda close behind. He turns towards me just as I'm yanking off my cloak. "C'mon. Help me take this off him," I drop to my knees and start undoing the buttons on Allen's Exorcist coat.

"What are you doing? He'll freeze!" Lavi cries.

"He'll freeze faster in these wet things," I assert, balling up his coat and throwing it at him, "We need to get him into some dry things as soon as possible.

Elda holds Allen's head in her lap, careful to keep his half naked body off the ground as I tear off his sopping undershirt and then begin to systematically wrap him in the folds of my much larger manteau cloak.

"I think my father has an extra coat in his pack," Elda says to me.

"Alright." She passes Allen over to me before running over to Frey sitting off to the side against a tree. "Lavi, go help her," I say to him, and he obliges, looking noticeably disturbed from the first time since I met him.

I yank off Allen's boots and then pull off his soaked socks. Tearing off the sleeves of my woolen waistcoat, I'm able to make makeshift moccasins for his half-frozen feet. His skin is like ice to my heated touch as I steadily warm my body hotter and hotter the more of my own attire I take off.

Allen gasps, trembling like a leaf in a storm.

"I don't want the clowns to throw pies at me," he mumbles, straining against the coat swaddled around him.

"Hey, hey, kid. Take it easy," I soothe, placing my hand against his damp forehead. His skin is sweaty and burning up despite my own heated temperature.

"M-Mana," Allen's eyelids flutter slightly. "M-Mana! T-The dog's d-dead."

"Shhh." I tighten the cloak around him.

"N-No," Allen tries to wriggle free, "T-The dog's d-dead. I h-have to t-tell M-Mana the d-dog's dead."

"Allen, there's no dog," I try to reassure him as his voice becomes more frantic.

His eyes snap open, and he looks right at me. His lips are pale blue, and his teeth are chattering so hard he can barely speak.

"R-R-Red," he whispers, wrenching his arm free as he reaches up to tenderly touch the strands of my soak hair tumbling loose from my braids, "I-I w-w-was R-Red once."

"Cassandra, what's wrong with him?" Lavi asks as he returns with Elda and her coat.

"He has hypothermia," I explain, taking it from him and wrapping it around Allen. "We need to get him out of the cold as soon as possible."

"Then we should go back to the inn," Elda declares.

"We don't have time for that," Kanda, who had been standing off to the side watching the display with only mild interest, finally speaks up. He gestures to the sky, and we all look up to see deep black storm clouds are gathering on the horizon.

"We're getting another round of storms," Lavi proclaims.

"C'mon," I say as I jump to my feet, stuffing Allen's wet clothes into my bottomless pockets before I heave him up onto my back.

He slumps against my shoulder, groaning and mumbling while his body vibrates madly against my own.

"M-Mana, w-watch out for t-the c-c-carriage."

I bit my lip as I adjust him against me. I shoot once last glance towards the steadily darkening sky before turning to the others. "Let's get moving."

* * *

The storm blows in around us with the most intensity I'd seen yet. We struggle through the frozen winds as they beat mercilessly against our bodies.

"This way!" Kanda yells over the storm, "I saw a cabin in this direction; I don't think anyone's home but it should be habitable."

Behind me, Allen groans. His damp hair is sticking to his face and tiny flecks of ice are appearing at the tips. He is shaking so hard, he can't even grip my body as I stagger along with him.

Despite being abnormally strong for my age and gender, Allen still feels heavy in my arms.

"There it is!" Lavi cries, pointing to a black shape resting on the crest of a hill a few yards back.

I grit my teeth, hoisting Allen up as he starts to slide off. "Hang in there, kid; we're almost there."

The cabin is surprisingly homey for being abandoned. The furniture is sparse: consisting of nothing but a table, some chairs, and a cot in the corner. Frey lights a lantern and sets it on the former while Lavi, Elda, and I gently carry Allen inside and lay him across the cot.

He's still mumbling about clowns, dogs, and the color red; seemingly unaware of any of his surroundings.

Kanda slams the door, shutting out the storm, before settling in a chair by the table. Frey stands at the window, watching the wind beat against the glass.

"We need to warm him," I say to Elda and Lavi as we lay Allen across the cot.

"Alright, I'll get a fire going and boil water to heat some rags in it for his arms and legs," Elda offers.

"Chest too," I add, "Do the chest first: we need to heat the torso before the extremities. If we do the limbs first, the blood will rush back into his chest, and he could go into shock."

Elda's eyes widen. "Okay."

She then grabs a kettle from beside the fireplace and heads to the door to retrieve some snow to melt.

"Once that melts, wet a wash cloth," I call to her as I feel Allen's forehead, "We need something cold for his fever."

As Lavi helps Elda get a fire going and Frey and Kanda sit around being unhelpful, I fist my hands through handkerchief and boil my body to the point my skin blisters. I then press the slightly smoldering fabric against Allen's chest.

His breathing is shallow as he sleeps fitfully through the haze of his fever, convulsing slightly after a time, and I have to pin his arms down to the bed with my Blood whips least he punch me in the face.

"C-Cas," he murmurs. My eyes widen; for a second I think he's lucid, but he doesn't open his eyes, "C-Cas," he repeats, trying to turn away from me as I press the warm cloth to his bare chest, his skin like smooth velvet beneath my fingers.

After some time, we finally have Allen covered in enough heated blankets and cloth. His shivering and convulsing have stopped, but his breathing remains shallow as he gasps under the layers of covers.

Lavi sits exhausted against the wall while Elda silently stirs a broth she has gotten started in the kettle. She looks up, and our eyes meet for a moment. I smile slightly, a silent thank you.

She returns it before going back to her work, and I continue to tenderly spoon drops of my Blood into Allen's mouth. He coughs violently each time, but eventually they do him good, and his fever breaks about a half-hour later.

I kneel beside the cot, gripping Allen's hand in my own, allowing the heat from my own body to slowly flow into his. His gasping and mumbling has stopped, and now he lies still in the bed.  
I stare at his face, examining every inch of his features: the shape of his jawline and how it has sharpened somewhat since we'd first met in the fall, the curve of his eyes, the slight crease in his brow as though he is pondering something even in sleep, the slope of his nose, and the shape of the bright red scar, shining with its own kind of sinister beauty in the dancing firelight. Gently, I reach up and brush my fingers across his bangs.

He shifts somewhat, and I instantly draw back, thinking I've disturbed him, but I'm surprised when he leans into my touch.

I don't even hear Lavi approach. "How is he?"

I jump, whirling to face him. "Oh, he's fine. Yeah, he'll…he'll be fine."

Lavi smiles in relief, "That's good. Here," he hands me a bowl of soup. "Compliments of Elda."

I glance over my shoulder to see Frey and Kanda are eating too, while the storm still howls outside.

"Go eat," Lavi says to me. I look at him, opening my mouth to protest. "I've already eaten. Go on; I'll look after him."

Wordlessly, I oblige, moving over to the table and pulling up a chair. Kanda looks up as I sit down; he scowls.

"You're pathetic,"

I look up in surprise, my spoonful of broth halfway to my mouth.

"You couldn't even handle three lousy Akuma; we don't let them escape, we finish our enemies."

"If I recall, Eye Candy," I snap, setting down my spoon, " _You_ were technically the one that let them get away."

Kanda doesn't respond to this, just grits his teeth and turns from me, which is just fine with me as I go back to eating, and we lapse into a tense silence.

"How did you know what to do, Cas?" Elda finally breaks that silence.

"Huh?"

"When Allen go sick, how did you know what to do to help him?"

"Oh, well, my mother's a doctor," I explain, pushing my empty bowl away, "She taught me a thing or two."

"One would think, in your line of work, more Exorcists would have first aid training," Elda muses.

"Yeah, well, the medical stuff is usually left up to the Finders." I stiffen, suddenly remembering something. "Kanda, where's Michael?"

He scoffs, "How should I know?"

I groan, "You left him out in the snow, didn't you?"

"He's not _my_ responsibility," Kanda snaps, "Finders have to be able to take care of themselves."

Lavi snorts, "You don't show any mercy, Yu: to Akuma or your teammates."

Kanda grunts in response.

At that moment, the door suddenly opens, and Michael steps into the room in a shower of snowflakes.

"Hey, speak of the devil; we were just talking about you!" Lavi exclaims as the Finder dusts himself off.

"Yeah, I saw the light through the windows," he says. He then notices Allen lying on the cot. "What happened? Is he alright?"

"Yeah," I reply simply, "Just a little hypothermia; nothing I couldn't handle. How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Did you see any Akuma around the cabin?" Kanda interjects.

"No, I didn't," Michael replies.

Kanda's eyes narrow. "So, they went ahead." He gets to his feet and grabs his sword. "I'm going out; I'm going to locate and obtain the Innocence before they do."

"Nice," Lavi agrees, "I'll come back you up."

Kanda doesn't say anything to this; he instead turns to Frey, "You planning on getting lost again?"

"Watch it, Exorcist," the older man growls.

"Do not worry about my father," Elda interjects, "I'll be right beside him."

Kanda scoffs, "Do you even care about your daughter's safety?"

Frey opens his mouth: an angry response visibly poised on the tip of his tongue, but he snaps it shut a moment later and remains silent.

Kanda nods in a 'thought so' manner before heading to the door.

Lavi taps my shoulder, "C'mon, Cassandra; you should come too."

I start, "What? Why?" Instinctively, my eyes move over to the bed where Allen is still sleeping.

"I'll look after Allen; don't worry." Michael practically reads my mind.

"But what if the Akuma attack you?" I protest, "There will be no one there to protect you."

"Use your head for once," Kanda snaps, "The Akuma are more likely to go after three Exorcists heading towards the Innocence then a bunch of useless weaklings holed up in a hut. Now come or stay, it doesn't matter to me."

I sigh, folding under the realization that Kanda is right. Wordlessly, I grabbed my manteau cloak from my chair and drape it over my shoulders.

"Let's go," I say, pulling the clasps.

Wordlessly, Kanda opens the door and he, Lavi, and I step out into the storm.

"Take care!" Lavi calls to the others over his shoulder.

I glance back towards Allen. _Hang in there, kid._

The trek is rough; the wind seeming to increase in intensity with each step with take.

Lavi seems unperturbed by the weather for a change, and Kanda is his usual silently pissy self. The relative quiet gives my mind all the opportunity to constantly wander back to the cabin.

I clench my fists.

"Hey, don't look so glum, Cassandra," Lavi calls to me over the storm, "Think of it like we're going on a field trip."

"Be quiet," Kanda snaps.

"You really need to lighten up, Yu."

"I said be quiet!"

I roll my eyes. Here we go again.

* * *

We continue along the pathless terrain, winding through the dark shadows of the trees that loom out of the blizzard. We walk in to the wind, following Allen's earlier logic that following the wind would lead to its source.

The noise is deafening, and the snow rakes across my face like the long claws of some kind of beast. I grit my teeth as I stagger forward.

Eventually, the winds get so rough that I can barely see. I squint my eyes to mere slits, and out of the chaos of the storm, I can just barely make out the black entrance to a low cave nestled in a glen between two large pines.

"Is this it?" Kanda asks Lavi, stopping before the cave.

The wind is so loud, he sounds several miles away.

"I guess so; let's go see," Lavi answers his question.

"Oh, and how do you suppose we do that?" Kanda snaps.

"Pretty sure your sass isn't going to help matters," I grumble.

"Well, we just need to look for break in the weather," Lavi declares, hoisting his Hammer over his head. It glows bright green as it extends and a ring of glowing Japanese symbols encircle the Weapon as it lengthens.

I watch, mouth open, as Lavi raises his Hammer above his head, "Wood Stamp," he smashes through one of the glowing characters, "Spinning Disc of Heaven and Earth!"

He strikes the ground, and it's consumed in a blood red light. The light rises up from the ground to form a funnel that strikes into the sky, slicing through the grey clouds and evaporating the storm into nothingness.

The air instantly goes quiet, save that annoying ringing sound that lingers in my ears.

I gawk at Lavi in spite of myself. I have never seen a power quite like that.  
"How'd he do that?"

"Lavi's Innocence gives him the ability to control nature," Kanda explains.

"Really?"

Lavi smirks, hoisting his hammer over his shoulder, "Why don't we get inside while we still can?"

Kanda doesn't respond, just wordlessly strides into the now clear cave. Lavi and I exchange a glance.

"Nice move," I commend.

"Thanks."

We then run to catch up with Kanda.

The inside walls of the cave curls around us to form a tunnel of glittering stone: the walls are almost smooth enough to be mistaken for manmade and seemingly consisting of some kind of blue, crystalline substance, almost like ice.

I gaze up at the ceiling sloping above my head as we walk, amazed at the coloring of this bizarre structure.

Kanda stops so suddenly I smash into him.

He growls in annoyance.

"What is it?" I ask.

"That." Lavi points straight ahead of us.

Peeking around Kanda, I see that we have walked into a monstrous cavern with polished white walls as smooth as glass and an open ceiling. Pale sunlight is streaming in from up above, cascading down around the snow-covered ground. In the very center of the room stands a massive tree.  
Its trunk is so wide that it would take at least eight grown men standing hand in hand to encircle it with their arms.

There are no low hanging branches; the trunk is completely smooth. Nestled on the top of the tree is a wide cluster of leaves so green they seem to shine, twinkling like stars or diamonds in the velvety sunlight.

"Is that-?" I start, but Kanda suddenly rushes forward.

"Yu, wait!" Lavi cries as we race after him.

Kanda stops short in front of the giant tree, gazing up at its glittering leaves. Wordlessly, he steps forward and places his hand on the trunk.

As soon as his palm touches the wood, there is a burst of scarlet energy that explodes out from the tree; Kanda cries out in pain as he's thrown off his feet and sent skidding backwards several yards.

"Hey! You alright?" Lavi asks, kneeling beside him.

"Kanda just got bitch-slapped by a tree," I exclaim in disbelief.

Lavi glances over at the massive tree; his practiced eyes studying every inch of it.

"The Leaf of Revival!" Lavi, Kanda, and I all whirl around to see Frey walking in to the clearing, hardly noticing us as his gaze never wavers from the tree. "I found it; it really does exist!"

He then starts sprinting across the cavern towards the tree. "I'll be able to bring you back to us now, Jacob. Oh, my dear boy!"

"Hey, wait!" I yell as he streaks past us, but it's too late.

He doesn't even get near the tree before the same burst of energy knocks him back.

Frey sits up, gasping and dazed. "No…Jacob. Jacob!" He jumps up and tries again.

"Stop!" Lavi yells, but his words also go unheeded as Frey is knocked backwards again. He slams hard against the far wall and slumps to the ground, unconscious.

Kanda gets to his feet. "Mugen: unsheathe!" He runs his finger along his blade, setting it alight with Innocence.

As if accepting the challenge, another burst of burning red energy explodes out from the tree. Kanda deflects the attack with his sword. Lavi and I jump to the side, my Blood coiling around my body to make an armored shield.

Shards of ice shoot out from the tree's roots like crystalline bullets.

"Kanda!" I yell, jumping in front of him as my armored body stops the bullets. Kanda jumps over my head, sword held aloft.

With a grunt of exertion, he brings his blade down across the base of the trunk, slicing it clean in two.

The top half of the tree falls over onto its side with a thunderous crash that shakes the whole cave. As soon as it hits the ground, the once shining leaves instantly wither and die.

Lying in the center of the stump is a shard of Innocence; it glows faintly.

Kanda picks it up. "We've got what we came here for; let's go."

Before Lavi or I can respond, Frey staggers over to us.  
"Please, give that to me. I need the Leaf of Revival to bring back my son!"

"This is not the Leaf of Revival," Kanda coldly states. "It's called Innocence."

"Give it to me!" Frey snarls, rushing forward and trying to grab Kanda by the throat.

"Get off me!" he growls, throwing the older man to the ground, "This Innocence doesn't have the power to revive your son. Accept it."

Frey lies on the ground, gasping as his eyes swim with too many emotions for my stunted senses to register. He closes his eyes, breathing heavily.

"Do you finally believe us?" Lavi asks.

He doesn't respond.

Silently, I walk over to the dead husk of a tree and removing my glove, tenderly place my hand against the smooth bark.

"I don't quite understand how, but the Innocence somehow came to live in this tree," I muse, "It made its leaves shine, causing many people to think it was the Leaf of Revival, so they came here to pick its leaves. If that had continued, the tree would have eventually died, so the Innocence caused massive snowstorms and hot winds to prevent people from coming near it. It was protecting itself; I don't think it meant to hurt anyone."

Lavi nodded in agreement.

"Come on." Kanda says to us.

"Coming," I call, slipping on my glove. As I move to follow them, I pass Frey still on the ground.

He looks at me; I hold out my hand.

He drops his eyes.

Not really surprised, I step past him and run to catch up with Kanda and Lavi.

* * *

When we exit the cave, the sun is shining brightly with not a cloud in the sky.

"Hey, the weather cleared up!" Lavi exclaims.

" _You_ cleared the weather up," I remind him.

Beside me, Kanda suddenly stiffens.

"Heads up!" He draws his sword just as Googly-Eyes bursts out of the snow with a maniacal cackle. Right behind him is Snowflake-Tail and Steel-Dragon.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Frey exiting the cave.

 _Great._

"Give us that Innocence!" Steel-Dragon roars.

"Stay back," Lavi urges Frey, raising his Hammer.

My clothing tears to shreds as my Blood burst from my skin and hardens into several spikes along my arms.

"They must not get the Innocence," Kanda declares, unsheathing Mugen, "This time there is no escape."

Snowflake-Tail rears up.

"Watch out! Snow boobs!" I yell, and we all jump out of the way to avoid another blast of freezing sleet.

"I'll take the one on the left," Kanda calls, turning his Mugen on Steel-Dragon.

"No one's stopping ya," Lavi calls back as he runs towards Googly-Eyes.

I grimace, "Guess that means I'm stuck with Frosty the Snow Bitch."

"Big Hammer, Little Hammer. Take this!" Lavi yells as his Hammer erupts in size and knocks Goggly-Eyes square in the chest.

Kanda slices his blade at Steel-Dragon, who just barely manages to dodge. Both Akuma going flying into the snowdrifts several yards back.

"How can you both be so pathetic?" Snowflake-Tail calls to them.

She turns back around just as I reach her, "You're mine!" I yell.

Her purple lips fold into a smirk. Suddenly, a great blast of icy wind explodes out from every pore of her body.

I grunt in surprise as I'm knocked backward in midair and sent flying into Kanda, knocking both of us into a tree.

I sit up, the air turning somersaults as Kanda staggers to his feet beside me.

As my vision swims back into focus, I feel my heart drop into my stomach as I register what is right before me: Snowflake-Tail's snowy blast encircles her entire being like a halo of freezing water. As we look on, it expands outward until it's completely consumed her two Akuma comrades. The other Level IIs shriek in mixtures of pain and agony as their bodies slowly melt into the frozen water.

I watch, too stunned to react, as the snow clears, and Snowflake-Tail stands before us: her body now swollen to twice its original size. Her base now resembles that of Goggly-Eyes while her torso has taken on the form of Steel-Dragon.

"What's she done?" I gasp.

"She's absorbed the other Akuma to become stronger," Kanda replies through gritted teeth, griping his sword as he braces himself.

The lady Akuma cackles gleefully, "Now you die!"

She then fires her ice blast along with a round of Steel-Dragon's and Googly-Eyes' guns. The three-part assault streaks towards us.

"Hit the deck!" Lavi yells as we all drop to the ground.

The blast sails over our heads and collides with a tree: smashing it to woodchips.

I sit up, spitting snow out of my face. "Deck hit. Now what?"

"What are you doing? Get off of me!"

I glance to my left to see Frey has Kanda in a full nelson. "Give it to me!" he hisses, his black eyes wild, "I need that thing. Give it to me!"

I jump to my feet. "Hey!"

Frey barely turns towards me before I sock him in the face. He crumples to the ground with a groan, instantly releasing Kanda.

"Miserable humans," the Akuma croons. I whirl around only to be hit head on by another attack. I fly backward, landing next to Frey.

I sit up, dazed.

"Cas!" Kanda yells out, but he's too late.

Frey has his fist around my wrists, pinning me to the ground before I can even register what is happening. "Give him to me," he hisses, his voice thick as blood leaks from his nose, "Give me back my son!"

"Get off her!" Kanda yells, snatching his sword and moving towards us.

"No, wait," I choke forcefully, "Don't kill him. Focus on the Akuma."

Said creature laughs. "Take this!" she yells.

Lavi hoists his hammer and is about to charge when a gigantic blast of frozen air rockets towards us. There's no time to dodge as it strikes Lavi head on.

The young Bookman cries out in a mixture of shock and pain as thick blue ice sporadically springs up around his feet, covering him nearly up to the waist.

"Lavi!" Kanda makes a move towards his feet, but a second blast knocks him off his feet, freezing the entire lower half of his body. A third collides with me and Frey, immobilizing us as well.

I grit my teeth, "Shit."

Frey yells in pain and let's go of my hands as my body temperature skyrockets. The ice dissolves into sleety mush around our bodies. The older man staggers back as I jump to my feet and race towards Kanda, who's struggling under the ice.

"Cassandra, watch out!" I barely heard Lavi yell before the Akuma fires another blast at me. I dive to the side as the ice sails over my head. The snow liquefies around my body; I glance down in time to see that my skin is starting to bubble and sizzle. I retch, my throat going dry.

"N-No," I cough forcefully, "Don't lose control."

I could feel my Blood boiling over beneath my skin. Any hotter, and I could go into shock.

"Cassandra!"

Lavi calls again just as the shadow of the Akuma obscures me. I glance up to see her grinning down at me.

"If I can't freeze you," she trains the guns at her base towards me, "Then I'll just have to obliterate you."

The guns glow white as the blast builds up. I can't move, my whole body is scorching, burning itself up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of gold feathers.

 _Timcampy?_

"Innocence activate!" There is a flash of green light, and then a barrage of orange bullets collides with the Akuma head on. She shrieks and staggers back, giving me time to scramble out of the way.

"Allen!" I exclaim as I look up to see him standing there with Elda and Michael running to help the former's father.

"You alright, Cas?" he asks.

I grin, "Never better."

As I speak, my frantic body begins to relax, the heat slowly receding.

The Akuma, however, manages to regain her bearings. "You pathetic worm!" She fires another round at Allen.

He quickly jumps to the side, dodging each attack as it collides with the snow in a shower of white.

"Hey!" Kanda calls to me, "Hurry and free my legs."

I blink. "Oh, right."

Heat unfurls in my fist as I open my palm and release a stream of Blood that collides with the ice pinning down Kanda; it shatters upon impact, and he leaps into the air.

"Hey, what about me?" Lavi yells.

Another Blood whip strikes his legs, and he rushes forward.  
"Alright, everybody; here we go!"

"Right," Allen agrees. "You ready Kanda."

The other Exorcist grunts in response.

I lock my stance. "Alright, on three!"

"Mugen!" Kanda yells as he jumps up. The Akuma turns to fire at him, but doesn't power up in time. She shrieks as he slices at her arm, cleaving it clean from her shoulder in a single blow.

It falls with a heavy thud, just as Allen fires at her legs. The Akuma howls in a mixture of pain and fury.

"Big Hammer, Little Hammer," Lavi knocks the Akuma backwards. She shrieks again, her body reeling as she struggles to maintain control of her massive body.

"Alright, Cas," Kanda calls to me.

The Akuma jerks her head towards me.

I smirk. "You're mine."

"Die!" She fires a blast. I jump up as it collides with the spot I'd been standing it. My Blood coats my entire arm, forming a long spiked blade. I rise up into the Akuma's face; her expression twists into a look of horror before I slice straight through her neck, cutting it from her neck.

It crashes to the ground, landing in the snow with a loud crash. Black blood sprays from the neck's stump, peppering my face as I alight on the ground before the headless corpse.

It teeters where it stands for a few seconds more before falling backwards into the snow, evaporating to ash as soon as it hits the ground.

From the pile of dust, I catch a glimpse of three golden lights streaking off towards the heavens.

I straighten up, breathing heavily.

"Hey, nice!" Lavi calls to me.

I turn to smile at him, the black poison leaking out of my eyes as I do so. I don't suppose I looked particularly pleasant in that moment.

"Cas," Allen rushes over to me, jumping into a hug that I'm hardly prepared for, and I almost fall on my ass in the snow.

"Whoa, kid, easy," I exclaim breathlessly, unsure how to react as Allen tightens his hold around my neck.

"Thank you," he whispers in my ear.

I smirk, "Shit kid, I should be thanking you; if you hadn't arrive when you did, I'd be a steaming splotch in the snow."

"Good point," Allen smiles as he releases me, "Let's just call it even." He holds out his hand, and I clasp it firmly.

Frey steps forward, "Please, please give it to me."

Kanda rolls his eyes, "I don't believe this."

"I have to bring him back to us," Frey insists, "My dear little boy…I want it to be like before!" He squeezes his eyes shut, his whole body trembling, "Just one more time." Tears like from his eyes.

Elda walks over to her father, "I'm sorry; it's all because I stopped you from going in to save him. I had no idea my actions would cause you to suffer this much, Father, and that's why I can't stop you from doing anything now even if it's chasing after a Leaf I know doesn't exist."

Frey stares at his daughter, his expression unreadable.

Allen scowls at him, "Don't you think it's time you start paying attention to the child that's still alive?" he snaps.

Frey starts, looking at him in shock.

"You're so intent on pursuing your lost son that Elda is being hurt and neglected," Allen continues, "Don't you realize that you're treating this girl as if _she's_ the one who's died, no matter how much she's done for you?"

Frey bits his lip, his eyes pained as he gazes down at his snow-covered boats.

Elda walks over to him, taking his gloved hand in her own. "Please, don't worry about me; I understand how sad you are." She smiles, "Really, I'm fine, and I love you, Father."

Frey's mouth parts in surprise. "Oh, Elda," he gasps as he reaches forward to embrace her.

I watch the display feeling a sense of relief washing over me, it hangs heavy in the air amongst my comrades as well as Elda and Frey, and therefore fills me up to the brim.

However, I also feel the stirrings of my own weak feelings as watch the father and daughter.

I can't help but wonder about my own father.

Abruptly, Kanda turns from us, "I'll go ahead and take this Innocence back to the Order," he announces, holding up said shard before tucking it back into his coat pocket.

"Hold on, don't you want to wait and go with us?" Lavi asks.

"No, I think I've had enough of this 'field trip'."

I laugh, "Guess Kanda's not one for happy endings."

He doesn't respond as he strides of.

"You know, we should probably go to," Lavi remarks.

"Yeah, right."

"Glad to see you're feeling better, kid," I declare, throwing my arm around Allen's shoulder as he, Lavi, and I walk off after Kanda, Michael trailing behind us.

I glance over my shoulder in time to see Frey turn to Elda.  
"Shall we go home as well?" he asks, smiling for the first time.

She nods, returning that smile.  
"I'm sure Mother's worried sick."

I chuckle at that, but my smile suddenly fades when a flash of blinding pain suddenly stabs at my skull.

I cry out, gripping my head as my arm falls away from Allen, and I fall to my knees in the snow.

"Cas! Are you alright?" Allen cries, kneeling beside me.

I clench my jaw, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine," I reply, slowing lowering my hand from my face. "Just a headache, probably from overheating my body."

Allen eyes me worriedly. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," I reply, straightening up. However, over his shoulder, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of some dark shadow skulking about in the trees.

The train whistle sings out through the open sky that afternoon. The air is pleasant: sharp and cold, but there are still the promises of spring lingering somewhere amongst the snow.

* * *

We stand on the platform saying our last goodbyes to Elda and Frey.

"Thank you for everything," the latter says to us; his nose now fully healed as I had mended it…after I'd broken it.

"You're welcome," I reply.

"We're going to stay one more day and then go home to my mother," Elda adds.

"Good luck, and remember," Allen says to her, his voice growing serious, "It's not over: you and your father are still in danger. Akuma are born from the loss of a loved one; there's a chance the Millennium Earl might still come for you."

I nod in agreement, "If he offers to bring your brother back; don't listen, do you understand."

Despite our grave warning, the smile never leaves Frey's face. "We're not wishing such things anymore," he says, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder, "I think we'll be too busy loving the family we have here and now while looking to the future. I will never forget to cherish these precious lives ever again."

Elda's eyes mist. "Oh, dad." She hugs him.

The train whistle goes off again.

"All aboard," Bookman calls from where he is helping Michael loud our luggage.

"Goodbye!" Elda waves to us as we climb on.

I turn to give them a half wave as I grip the guard rail, the wind whistling through my long red hair, free from its braids, as the train starts moving.

I take one last look at Elda and her father growing smaller and smaller as the train picks up speed before closing the door and entering the carriage.

"I hope the Millennium Earl leaves Elda's family alone," Allen muses as he takes the window seat across from Lavi. I sit down next to him.

"No kidding, if her brother were to become an Akuma," Lavi starts.

"We'd have no choice but to destroy him," Allen finishes.

"Which would suck," I declare, clenching my unlit pipe between my teeth as I fish around in my pockets in search of my Bible.

I glance up at Allen as I pull out said book and then a match to light my pipe. "But I wouldn't worry, and besides, as Exorcists are job is not just to destroy, but also to save," I wink, "Remember?"

Allen smiles slightly, recalling Mater. "Yeah, I remember."

* * *

The train winds its way through the snow-covered hills as we all sit in silence, save Michael and Bookman who are in the next car phoning the order. Kanda is asleep in the seat across the aisle, lying curled up on his side still gripping his sword even as he doses. His posture reminds me of a snoozing cat.

Allen is also asleep, leaning against my arm as I skim the pages of my worn Bible.

Lavi hums to himself as he draws a goofy designs on Allen's face with a sharpie.

"He's going to kill you," I remark.

"It can't be worse than Yu catching me trying to braid his hair," Lavi replies with a shrug.

Allen shifts slightly in his sleep, muttering something under his breath.

I glance towards him, smiling in spite of the black markings all over his face.

Lavi chuckles, "You're giving him that lock again."

I scowl. "Shut your hole, Bookman," I snap, flicking a match at him.

He dodges it, laughing.

"So, did we meet your approval?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"I overheard you and Bookman discussing the reason you came on this trip was to see if Allen and I met Hevlaska's prophecy." I raise an eyebrow, "So what did you conclude?"

Lavi shrugs, "Frankly, I don't really see how it matters. All I know is that you and Allen have a long journey together, and you'll need each other now more than ever."

"Huh," I feign disinterest as I return my attention to the book in my lap, "Is that so?"

i carefully turn the page, wincing at my still blistered hands.

I land on Isiah 1: 15:

 _"Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."_

* * *

A/N: Managed to get another chapter done this week. Wow, I'm on a roll. And that wraps up the Leaf of Revival Arc; we'll be moving on to the Vampire Castle Arc and Krory! I'm excited, also they're may be more of Cas's past revealed in the not too distant future. Stay tuned :)


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: My apologies for not updating in a while. Things got pretty crazy, going to DC and Boston for college and job interviews, Comic cons, turning 18, papers for school, shopping for prom, all that good stuff. Anyways, I'm back and I hope you enjoy.  
Also, thanks everyone for fifty followers! I'm so happy you all enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it

* * *

Chapter 16: The Vampire of the Ancient Castle

* * *

"I wonder what it's like to fly," I muse to myself, leaning forward slightly to peer over the edge of the roof, squinting to try and catch a glimpse of the ground, but it is hopelessly swallowed by the thick curtain of mists that seems to be perpetually hovering around the Black Order Headquarters.

My feet dangle rather hazardously over the edge as I take my lit pipe out from between my teeth; I'm sitting perched on the roof of the tip top of the Black Order tower, smoking my pipe with one hand and throwing back a platter of oysters and tabasco sauce with the other. I pause in the former, turning to said plate sitting beside me as I tip half the contents of a tiny red tabasco bottle onto the remaining shells, dousing them thoroughly. Meanwhile, Timcampy flies in circles around my head.

It takes a lot for me to get a kick from this sort of thing.

I grin to myself as I allow the slimy mixture of cool and heat to slide down my throat.

However, my revel is cut short when suddenly

BANG!

I scream, dropping the oyster into my lap, splattering pasty white meat and red sauce all across my pants. My pipe nearly falls from my other hand, but I manage to snatch it in the last minute, breathing heavily as I struggle to regain my bearings.

I glance over towards the source of the noise to see a very familiar gigantic clawed hand firmly gripping the edge of the roof.

It is soon followed by Allen's grinning head. "Hey, Cas."

I scowl. "God damn it, kid; you scared the ever loving piss outta me."

Allen's face falls. "Oh, I'm sorry; I was just looking for Tim." He hastily apologizes as he hoists himself up onto the roof and settles down beside me. Said golem flutters over to perch in his hair as he so often does.

"Whatcha doing up here anyways?"

"I enjoy having my afternoon snacks in hazardous places," I snap sarcastically, vigorously trying to rub a stubborn tabasco stain out of coat.

Allen wilts, catching the hint. "You came up here to be alone, didn't you?" I glance towards him as he makes to get up. "Alright then, I'll leave you to it; I was just looking for Timcampy anyways."

"No, wait," I say, "Since you're up here, you might as well stay." I pause, thinking, "How _did_ you get up here anyways?"

"Climbed," Allen replies simply, "How did you?'

"Blood whips."

"Oh." My fellow Exorcist settles back down beside me; his eyes finally catching sight of my tray of oysters as he does so.

I smirk, plucking one off the platter and holding it out to him. "Ever had one of these?"

"No," Allen replies, visibly salivating.

"Go on," I offer, and he snatches it from me before I've completely got the words out, "Be careful though, it's h-"

Allen tips the contents of the shell down into his mouth "Gah!" he splutters, retching as he grips his throat, his face turning as red as the sauce currently scorching his mouth.

"Hot," I finish, fishing out a handkerchief and passing it to him.

Allen dabs his watering eyes, "How do you stand that?"

"Stunted nerves," I remind him.

"Oh, right."

"Oysters need a little kick to 'em anyways," I continue, "They don't have much taste on their own; normally, you add a little whiskey too, but I don't have any. Ever had whiskey?"

Allen scoffs, "Yeah, Master left some lying around once. I thought I was gonna die."

I snort. "You are such a virgin," I mumble.

"Pardon?"

"Never mind."

At that moment, Timcampy flies up from his perch on Allen's head. We watch as he flaps in front of us, his mouth opening up, and an image blossoming from between his teeth. The projector displays Komui.

"Allen? Cas? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," I reply.

"Good. Come down to my office ASAP. I've got a very important mission for the two of you."

With that, he disconnects, and his image blinks out.

Allen and I exchange a glance. "I guess we should go," he says to me.

"Let's finish the oysters first."

* * *

I let Allen go on ahead to Komui's office, so I can put on a fresh outfit that isn't covered in sauce and oyster guts. Said outfit is a dark brown waist coat with matching pants, a dark brown vest over a white ruffled shirt and cravat clasped with a black stone. My shiny black shoes slap against the tiled hallway as I tighten the clasps on my Exorcist coat, pausing to readjust my top hat, brown this time.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Kanda breeze past me the same way down the hall, nose buried in a file for some mission or another.

I smirk as he walks past me, entirely unassuming. As he moves a few paces ahead of me, I reach out and teasingly slap his ass.

Kanda jumps about a foot in the air; he whirls around, drawing his sword.

Laughing loudly, I dodge Mugen as I jump up onto the balcony railing and leap over the side, free falling past the multiple tiered floors of Headquarters.

A thin rope of Blood springs up from my hand, snagging the edge of the railing belonging to the floor that Komui's office is on. I jerk slightly as my descent is abruptly halted. I then close my fist, reeling the Blood in, pulling my body upwards until I'm able to climb over the railing.

I spy Lenalee waiting for us in front of her brother's office, plastic pink clipboard in hand, just as Allen approaches.

"Are you here to see my brother?" she asks us as I clamber over the bannister and drop to the ground as Allen looks at me in bemusement.

"No, I like throwing myself off the balcony for shits and giggles."

Lenalee rolls her eyes, "Come on in," she opens the door and leads us through the familiar slush pile of wrinkled paperwork riddled with tears and coffee stains.

As Allen and I sift through the mess, Komui stands across the room with his back facing us, intently studying a large map of the world that is tacked to the bookcase. Several bright red pins are stuck in various points across the continents, obviously keeping track of something.

He turns around as Allen, Lenalee, and I come up to his desk.

"You're late," he remarks simply.

"Sorry, eating oysters on the roof," Allen explains.

"Right," Komui clears his throat, pushing his glasses further up his nose. "Now then, Allen, Cas, I'm sending you both to Romania."

Allen raises an eyebrow, "Romania?"

"Here," Lenalee hands him a file, "This should help."

"Is there supposedly Innocence in Romania?" I asked Komui.

"Actually, Cas, we're sending the two of you on a bit of a different mission then usual."

"Be still my heart."

"That's not funny, Cas," Allen chides.

"Regardless, we're looking for someone, and we have reason to believe he's spent time in the village detailed in the file," Komui explains as Allen opens said booklet and begins scanning it. I move to stand behind him, so I can peer at it over his shoulder.

After a moment, Allen looks up. "But Chief, this sort of thing isn't typically an Exorcist's job."

"Yeah, shouldn't we be leaving this sort of thing to the Finders?" I add.

"You are correct," Komui replies, "Missing persons are not usually a part of an Exorcists' duties; however, in this case, I'd say that this is a job only for you, Allen and Cas."

My eyes widen, "Really?"

"But why me?" Allen asks as he turns the page of the file. The next page he comes to has a picture with a very familiar face looking up at him. Allen stiffens, his whole form going rigid; he claps a hand over his mouth as his face goes very pale.

"Kid?"

Allen screams, causing me to jump back in alarm as he tosses the file to the floor and tries to run for the door. "No, no, no, no!" he shrieks as Komui snatches him, folding him into a full nelson in an effort to keep him still.

"Come now, you're the only one who can do it," he insists as Allen continues to struggle. "It makes perfect sense."

"No, no, no! Absolutely not. I won't do it. I won't!" Allen sobs.

Lenalee stoops down and picks up the discarded folder; she passes it to me with a sheepish smile.  
"Good luck."

I look to her in confusion before opening up the folder and turning to the page Allen was on. My eyes widen in surprise when I see the image of General Cross looking up at me.

"I won't do it!" Allen screams as he continues to try and struggle against the Komui., "I don't want to see Master."

I sigh, shoving the file back into Lenalee's hands as I walk over to them.

"Kid, get a grip!" I snap, clamping my hand down on Allen's arm and squeezing it firmly.

He recoils under the pressure, wilting somewhat as he attempts to pull free of my grip.  
"C-Cas!" he stammers, weakly tugging on my wrist.

"Everything's going to be fine."

Allen doesn't respond, just continues to vehemently shake his head.

"Listen to me," I reach foreward and cup his face in my palm, lifting his head, so that he is looking me in the eye. "You're not going alone, remember? I'll be with you every step of the way, and I'll make sure nothing happens to you, alright?"

Allen looks at me, his silver eyes pleading.  
"Cas!" he whimpers, throwing his arms around my shoulders and burying his face in my chest.

I sigh, smiling forcibly as I turn back to Komui.  
"You were saying?"

After Allen is calmed down enough to be settled on the couch, Komui continues the briefing.

"So, Cas, were you aware that General Cross is missing?"

"Uh no."

"Well, we've been unable to contact him for some time now. The last news we heard of him was in this little Romanian town of Strigoi. Therefore, I want you and Allen to go do a little poking around down there and see what mischief Cross may be getting into to. It's bad for business if one of our General's is MIA doing God knows what when there's a war going on."

"It's better for all of us if he _stays_ missing," Allen grumbles from his spot in the corner.

Komui chuckles, "Well, that's it for me. Lenalee, would you provide Allen and Cas with their train tickets? And I'll be expecting a full report when you get back."

"Sure thing," I reply, accepting the tickets from his sister and then turning to Allen, "Come on, kid, I think a large piece of chocolate cake is in order."

* * *

Blood, rich, thick, ripe like wine. It flows freely through my fingers. Life upon life, mixing, pooling together, rolling around in the pit of my stomach. Burning, sour, dark as night as I prowl about. I can feel the pleasant heat of fresh breaking beneath my fangs and the sweet serenity of that lovely ichor flooding my mouth.

Oh, pleasant blood. Why must you be so delightfully cruel?

The train whistles and then jerks to a halt.

"C'mon, Cas," Allen hits me with the paper map we'd been given causing me to awake with a grunt. He's halfway out of the train car before I'd even finished gathering my things.

"You're awfully eager," I observe, joining him on the platform.

"The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can leave," Allen replies simply, straining somewhat as he flexes his back.

"You okay?"

"Bumpy train ride. I don't know how you sleep through it. I've got this awful cramp in my spine."

"Here, lemme help," I offer, holding out my hands.

Allen turns around, and I wrap my arms around his waist, hoisting him off the ground as I bend backward, pulling on him until I hear the light pop of his back resetting.

"Better?"

"Yeah, loads better. Cas, I-Augh!" Allen cries out as he loses his balance, and we both fall onto the platform ground, tangled together like a couple of idiots as we role about amongst Exorcists coats and luggage.

"You're a complete failure as a human being sometimes, Allen," I grumble as I scramble to my feet.

"Sorry," Allen replies sheepishly as he jumps up and glances around.

I do as well, reaching into my pocket for my pipe and a match as I take a moment to fully soak in our surroundings. The village of Strigoi is nestled in a clearing that had been carved out of a forest of thick pines that stood like dark shadows stretching towards the inky sky. It's late evening, and the night looms over us. The village beyond the tiny platform is empty and eerily silent, the brown, ornate homes, old-fashioned and carved like gingerbread houses look friendly enough, and the lamplight casts a pleasant glow along the bronze cobblestones, but the absence of any villagers walking along the streets creates a somewhat disconcerting atmosphere.

"Why would Master come to a place like this?" Allen asks, peering down the seemingly deserted main street.

"Beats me," I reply, pausing to blow a wisp of smoke into the dark air.

"I suppose we should take a look around," Allen continues, "Although this place looks deserted." He sighs heavily.

"Come on," I grab his hand and pull him through the gate. The street beyond is still eerily quiet, although we both quickly notice that it is no longer deserted.

A large, flat-faced man with dark, narrow eyes wearing a square hat is stand beside a large cart on wheels with an umbrella attached to it just off the road.

"That wasn't there before," I remark.

"Um, excuse me?" Allen addresses the man behind the cart.

He looks up, "Huh?"

"Hi," Allen holds up a hand in greeting, "I'm Allen Walker and this is Cas Williams. We're looking for-"

He's cut off when the man suddenly let's out a great shriek, causing both of us to jump back in alarm. He stares, open mouthed, pointing a trembling finger at the silver crest emblazoned on both our chests. With another loud cry, he suddenly takes off, tearing down the street at breakneck speed.

"Hey, wait! You forgot your cart thing" I start forward, but the man has vanished into the night.

"That was weird," Allen remarks. "What do you suppose spooked him?"

"Maybe you did," I reply simply, "I mean, people with large scares often look intimidating."

Allen self-consciously claps a hand over his left eye, "Is it really that bad?"

"Oh relax. I said _maybe_."

"Did you notice though?" Allen continues, "He was pointing at the silver Exorcist crest on our coats. Maybe it has something to do with that."

I purse my lips. "Can't say it really makes much since being afraid of an Exorcist, but people in Romania are weird about that sort of thing, perhaps-"

"Shh!" Allen holds up a hand to silence me, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" No sooner had I asked that the rumbling sound Allen was indicating grows steadily louder.

We both whirl around in time to see a huge group of men all dressed in long, black coat and carrying various gardening tools like rakes and spades thunder towards us.

"Shit! It's a mob, they're going to lynch us!" I cry, staggering back.

"Hold on, wait!" Allen exclaims, holding his hands up in surrender as the crowd bears down on us, "We didn't do anything. Wait! Please."

But his words fall on deaf ears as the crowd presses in around us, surrounding us in a mess of black cloaks and heavy tools.

I'm not sure what happened next; I must have been knocked unconscious because the next thing I know, I'm waking up in a small wooden house with a sack over my head and ropes wrapped several times around my chest.

"W-What? What the hell?" I demand just as the bag is yanked off my head. I glance around, blinking rapidly to see that the entire village is standing around me, all still bearing their garden tools menacingly.

"Cas, you alright?" I glance to my left to see Allen is tied up beside me. "What happened?"

"I was just about to ask you that."

One of the villagers steps forward, startling us both into silence.

"Bine ati venit," he says, his voice low and gravely, "ne-am aștepta sosirea ta."

I blink, "What?"

"Trebuie să ne ajute," the man continues, "Va imploram."

"Cas, what are they saying?"

"How should I know? I don't speak Romanian."

"I'm sorry, we don't understand you," Allen addresses the man, who looks at him in bewilderment, "We're from England. Do you speak English? _English?"_

"Tu ne va ajuta?" the man replies.

"Da, ajută-ne," the crowd seems to murmur in agreement.

"No, English," Allen insists, "We don't understand. Do you speak English?"

"Ajuta ne!" the crowd just continues to repeat.

"We don't understand!" Allen is becoming flustered, "Cas, say something to them."

"What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know. Say something in German?"

"Sprechen sie Deutsch?" I offer. The crowd all looks to me in bewilderment before turning to murmur amongst themselves.

"Fată ciudată…. Fată ciudată."

I scowl, "Why do I get the feeling I'm being insulted?"

"Aap hindee bolate hain?" Allen asks in what I think is Hindi.

"Ajuta ne!" the man thunders back, stamping his foot and a chorus of the phrase being repeated continues as the other villagers wave about their weapons.

Allen shrinks back, nervous.

"Steady kid," I urge before turning back to the villagers, "Parlez-vous Français?"

"Ajuta ne! Ajuta ne!"

"Hablas español?" Allen offers.

"Ajuta ne! Ajuta ne!"

"Nǐ huì shuō zhōngwén?"

"You speak Chinese?"

"A little."

"Ajuta ne! Ajuta ne!" the crowd of villagers just continue to chant, stamping their feet and waving their tools above their heads.

"I don't think it's working," Allen whispers nervously.

I grit my teeth in frustration, "Does anyone in this town speak fucking English?"

"Oh, yes, I do. I do. Terribly sorry. Excuse me," a voice calls from the back of the room. Allen and I look on in surprise as the flat faced man from before pushes his way to the front of the crowd, "Sorry, sorry, had to see to the cart, you know? Can't having the meals getting cold."

"Oh finally, someone I understand," Allen exclaims with a sigh of relief.

"Would you care to explain what's going on here?" I snap, straining somewhat against my binds, "Because I'm pretty sure this qualifies as kidnapping."

"Apologies," the man replied, "But the people of this village are very, very scared."

Allen arches an eyebrow, "Of what?"

The man lowers his voice, "A vampire."

A loud hiss rises up amongst the anxious villagers, "Vampir…Vampir."

Allen gapes, "A vampire."

"That's exactly right," the man replies leaning forward so that he is in Allen's face.

"Uh, too close."

"Oh, sorry." The man shrinks back.

"What exactly do you mean by a vampire?" I ask him, "You don't mean like a literal _vampire_ vampire, do you?"

The man sighs, "I'm afraid so. You see, my name is George and I'm the acting mayor of the town of Strigoi; I also run a family business selling meals of the station.

"I don't believe I asked your name," I say.

"Are you interrupting?" George thunders and the crowd stirs.

I jump. "Sorry."

"But it is true: a vampire lives in the castle on the top of the cliff overlooking our village; he goes by the name Count Aryster Krory. You never see him during the daylight, and at night, horrific screams poor out of the ancient castle. It is said that those who dare to enter his castle are doomed to a slow, agonizing death."

"Now wait," Allen interjects, "Vampires don't really exist."

George shoots him a menacing glare.

"I'm sorry, please continue."

"But it's not as bad as it seems," George explains, "As long as we kept a distance from the castle, Krory wouldn't harm us. The count stayed in his castle, and we stayed in our village, creating a bizarre harmony. Until that one night, the scream echoed throughout the entire village. We all grabbed torches and rain to its source.  
The first victim was an old woman who'd lived alone at the edge of our village for decades. Krory was holding her lifeless body in his arms when we approached, and he began to suck her blood right in front of us! He didn't stop until he body had completely evaporated."

Allen gulps.

"Since that day, Krory has continued attacking our people, and there's no end in sight; nine victims have already become his prey."

The other villagers all began to shout and wave their tools about once more, obviously crying out in hatred towards the Count and desiring his head.

"This is disturbing," Allen murmurs.

"More like ironic," I reply.

"We were prepared to lay down our lives and storm Krory's castle to slay the count," George continues, "However…"

Allen and I both gape in shock as George and all of the other villagers suddenly drop to their knees and press their brows into the floor.

"Our prayers have been answered; God has yet to abandon us," George exclaims, raising his head with tears in his eyes, "As it was foretold, monks dressed in black and white bearing silver crests on their coats would come to destroy the vampire." He lowers his head once more as the other villagers begin to chant and whisper in prayer, "We beg of you brother and sister monk to slay Krory once and for all, so that we may live in peace. Won't you save us?"

Allen and I exchange a glance.

"You tell them."

"Why me?"

"Because you're better looking."

"Ugh fine," Allen sighs, "Look, I'm sorry to disappoint you but slaying a vampire isn't the reason we came to this village."

George jumps to his feet, "What?! You're mistaken; tell me, monk, why else would you be in our village?'

"We're looking for someone."

"Oh," George wilts, "I see."

Allen turns to me," You have the picture."

"I also don't have my hands free."

"Cas, you're Blood."

"Oh…right."

In a flash of crimson, both Allen's and my bonds unravel and fall at our feet. The crowd gasps as we rise to our feet.

"Here," I reach into my cloak pocket and pull out the photo of General Cross we'd been given. "His name is Cross Marion," I hold out the photo to George, "Do you recognize him?"

He takes the photo and squints inquisitively at it. After a moment, his eyes widen and tears of joy begin to pool at their edges.

"What's wrong with you?" I demand just as George tosses the picture aside and engulfs me in a bone crushing hug.

I tense, "Allen, he's touching me. You know how I feel about the touching."

"I was right," George exclaims as he releases me and then turns to crush poor Allen into a hug as well, "the prophecy did speak the truth: a monk in black would save us and here you are in the flesh."

"Would you mind letting go of me," came Allen's muffled response.

Looking sheepish, George quickly releases him, sniffing heavily as he wipes his eyes.

"Explain this prophecy," I say to him, stooping to pick up the picture of Cross.

George pointed at it, "That man told us about it."

Allen's eyes widen, "My Master?"

"Yes, it was in the weeks before Count Krory began his attacks," George explains, "A traveler appeared at the edge of the village and asked us for the way to Krory Castle. We pleaded him to stay away, saying how no one had come out of that place alive, but he only laughed and continued on his journey.  
When a few days passed, and he had come back out, I took him for dead until he passed by my little cart on his way to the train station, alive and well as if nothing had happened. He then said that if Count Krory ever became a threat to us that we should notify those who wore black and white coats and the same crest that he too bore on his coat. And with that, he rode out of town, just as the man had predicted, Coun Krory began his attacks soon after, sending our village into a state of terror." George clasps his hands, a smile stretching from ear to ear, "What the traveler said came true like a prophecy from God."

Allen and I exchange another glance. I silent mouth 'What the fuck?'

"Hey, are you even listening?" George exclaims, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me roughly, "You are our saviors," he then pulls me into another hug.

"Again with the touching. Get off me," I snarl, throwing him off.

George marvels at me, "Such strength," he exclaims, tears running down his cheeks, "Now I know for certain that you will be able to slay Krory. We are saved!"

A round of applause rises up from the other villagers as George continues to weep.

"Alright, alright. We'll do it; we'll do anything. Just stop crying."

As he tried to calm down the village mayor, I look about the room full of smiling faces, fully believing their saviors had come. I certainly hadn't expected this mission to turn out like this.

* * *

George led us to the local inn and to a bedroom for Allen and me on the second floor.  
"Since it's late, we set this room up for you, so you can rest up for tomorrow. Trust me, there will be much to do. Goodnight, monks." With that, he turns and leaves, closing the door behind us.

"Uh thanks." Allen calls after him.

"See ya in the morning," I add, "God, I need a smoke."  
I cross the room and flop down on one of the twin beds leaning against the wall, lighting my pipe on the candle George had left on the windowsill.

Allen meanwhile, sets down his suitcase on the other bed and opens it up, releasing a slightly disgruntled Timcampy into the room where he flies around the ceiling like an agitated bird.

"Do you suppose they're telling the truth?" I ask Allen, kicking open my own periwinkle suitcase and yanking out a pair of pajamas, "Do you think there really is a vampire living in that old castle?"

"I don't know," Allen replies, yanking his shirt off and flopping down on the bed. I go into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth; when I come out, Allen is lying on top of the covers, arms folded behind his head as he watches his golem zoom around the room.  
"I've never felt so much pressure in my life," he muses as I sit back down on the bed and pick up my still lit pipe, sticking it between my teeth as I brush my long red hair.  
"We came here to find Master Cross," Allen continues, "And now we're caught up in this vampire business. I mean, I didn't even think vampires existed."

"Pretty ironic, if you think about it," I declare, leaning back against the pillows and puffing on my pipe, "I mean, the first Romanian village we visit just happens to have a vampire, and people say stereotypes aren't true."

Allen turns towards me, "What are you talking about?"

"What? Don't tell me you've never read Stoker!" I exclaim, shifting to face him as well, "You know, Count Dracula, the story of the great Romanian vampire king who travels to London to suck the blood of all the innocents and virgins in the city."

Allen shakes his head, "I'm afraid I haven't."

"Well, it's a good read if you ever get around to it," I declare, shifting back onto my back, "I mean, minus all the sexism and xenophobia."

"Right, we should probably get to sleep."

"Sure thing," I sit up to douse my pipe and then blow out my candle, "Gute nacht," I whisper as the room goes dark.

"What?"

"It means 'goodnight' in German."

"Oh, same to you."

* * *

My dreams are full of blood, not entirely something unusual. However, the atmosphere has changed somewhat from the norm: I'm running through a dark stone corridor, there are tapestries on all sides of me and long, thin windows that just barely allows small slivers of moonlight to slice through. I stop short as I turn the corner in time to see Allen lying on his back in the middle of some kind of great chamber. There are bats flying in circles above our heads and a large black coffin sits on an altar at the back of the room.

Allen's body is lifeless, his skin the color of ash. His eyes are closed, and he gasps as the figure kneeling over him sinks his long, sharp fangs into the tender flesh of his throat. I see a thin stream of blood trickle down from the puncture wound.

"Kid!" I start forward, but a sudden black shape rears up from behind Allen and the vampire. I stop short, a gasp of surprise barely leaving my lips before the thing pounces, I'm consumed in its shadow and then everything goes dark.

I awake with a gasp, but a hand is suddenly clapped over my mouth. I struggle somewhat, still slightly feverish from the dream, but my vision eventually clears, and I see Allen standing over my bed.

Silently, he places a finger to his lips before pointing to the ceiling.

I slowly nod in understanding.

There's an Akuma on the roof.

Silently, Allen slowly backs up until he's standing beside the door. I quickly pull the covers over my head, coating my entire body in blood and hardening it into a shield.

From under the covers, I hear a loud bang and the sound of splintering wood as the door is thrown off its hinges. The shadow of a large, bulky shape looms over me, and the room is suddenly lit up along with the firecracker sound of Akuma bullets being fired at me point blank.

I cringe as the glowing fragments bounce off my armor. The Akuma snarls, believing itself successful just before it's entire form explodes and my bed is showered in ash.

The covers are thrown back before I can regain my bearings and I see Allen's frantic face looking down at me in the half-light. "Cas, you alright?"

I slowly retract the Blood from my body, liquefying it into my bedsheets. "Never better."

I sit up just as the window to my right shatters and two more Akuma burst into the room.

"Shit."

Allen grabs my hand, "Run!"

We bolt out of the room and into the hall, sprinting down the corridor as the Akuma crash after us, ripping apart the walls, floor, and ceiling in an attempt to lug their bulk after us.

"We need to get out of this house," Allen says to me just as another shape appears in the window ahead of us.

"Look out!"

We stop short as the glass shatters, splintering around us along with several strange spears of glowing energy. I duck and roll, but Allen isn't fast enough; he staggers back with a cry of pain.

I look towards him to see he's gripping his left eye, steam curling up from between his fingers.  
"Kid!"

"I'm alright." No sooner has he said this that he drops to the ground, curling up in pain as he continues to grip his face.

"Allen," I jump up and rush towards him, paying no mind to the two Level I Akuma's barreling towards us. I drop down and quickly peel Allen's hand from his face; his eye is black and singed; he groans in pain as I try to pry the swollen lid open.  
"What the hell?" I whisper.

"Ah great, I can't see," Allen whispers through gritted teeth.

The Akuma outside the window suddenly gives a howl that shakes the house. The two Level Is hault their assault just as their comrade slithers through the destroyed window and leers down at us.

"A Level II….Fuck."

The Akuma takes a swipe at me, I dodge, attempting to pull Allen with me, but he knocks my hand aside, instead rolling the other way so as to avoid the Level Is.

I push myself off the wall and jump straight at the Akuma. I raise my two arms, forming them into hardened Blood spikes and sink each one deep into the Level IIs shoulders, shoving it out of the house.

The Akuma gives a shriek of pain as we both topple out of the second story and fall down to the ground. Chunks of the house fall down around us as the Akuma attempts to cling to the side of the building with its claws, but I free its grip, and we tumble into the dirt.

The Akuma throws me off it; I fall on my side and hear something crack. I barely roll out of the way as the Akuma releases another round of those strange clear orbs, narrowly missing the assault.

I roll onto my back, and my body instantly goes rigid as a burning sensation suddenly stabs at my abdomen. I gasp in shock, fireworks exploding in front of my eyes. Vageuly, I hear the Akuma laughing dark and deeply as my vision begins to clear. I look down to see that a long wooden piece of the broken window frame had slice itself clean through my abdomen, effectively pinning me to the ground like a butterfly in a display case.

I gasp, blood spewing from my lips as I struggle, writhing in frustration in an attempt to break free, but my limbs are growing sluggish as more of my blood seeps out from my pelvis.

The Akuma looms over me, prepared to strike, but a sudden explosion of light and sound goes off behind it. It whirls around in time to see the entire left side of the inn come tumbling down, ash spews everywhere and I catch the ripe scent of Akuma blood.

With a snarl, the Level II shoots one more murderous glance at me before skulking off into the night, vanishing into the shadows.

I gape in shock as I watch its form recede; never in my life had a seen an Akuma spare a human before, much less an Exorcist.

 _Why didn't it kill me?_

I'm given no more time to ponder this as Allen suddenly rushes out of the house.  
"Cas!" he sprints towards me; his eye is still burned shut, but the other is wide in alarm as he drops to his knees beside me. "Cas! Oh, God…"

"Relax,kid. I've just been stacked," I reply with a weak smile, an attempt at a vampire joke, but it's obviously lost on Allen.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"What? This? This is nothing. I had to regrow a whole limb once, remember?" I reply simply, " I do need you to pull it out though."

"Uh, right." Allen looks a little squeamish, but he takes the piece of wood in both hands and swiftly yanks it out.

I gasp, choking heavily as I jerk upward somewhat, "Too fast," I wheeze as a torrent of blood spews from my mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Allen quickly cries, "Are you alright."

I groan, flopping back down onto the ground, "Yeah, just gimme a second I think my kidney's are failing."

"Allen!" I look up in time to see none other than Lavi and Bookman running towards us from out of the inn.

"Lavi? What are you doing here?"

"Came to help, of course."

"Oh, I see."

"I'm lucky they came when they did," Allen explains, "I was nearly a goner after you fell out the window."

"Sorry."

"Listen, I need your help," Lavi says to Allen and me, gesturing to the inn behind him with his thumb, "The innkeeper's hurt."

"What happened to the innkeeper?"

"The ceiling sort of fell on him."

"Oh."

"Careless as always," Bookman snaps before stalking back into the now destroyed inn.

I watch him go before wincing, feeling the color drain from my face, "I think I might need a hand too."

"Sure thing, Cassandra," Lavi replies with a grin, holding a hand out to me, so I can be pulled to my feet.

"Don't call me that," I snap through gritted teeth as I lean heavily against him and Allen, who slowly usher me inside.

Great, first vampires and now Akuma, this trip just keeps getting better and better.

* * *

By daybreak, Bookman had gotten the injured innkeeper settled in his bed, a cold cloth laid across his forehead. He had insisted that I not expel any of my Blood to cure him so that I myself could heal up, so resorted to acupuncture treatment while I sat on a couch in the corner, wrapped in a blanket with a mug of tea in my hands. According to Lavi, tea could cure anything.

The Junior Bookman in question is keeping watch at the door while his superior works. Allen sit beside me on the sofa, a heavy bandage wrapped around his left eye, and every so often reaching over to gingerly brush the side of my hand as I quietly sip the tea, pretending not to notice the gesture.

After a time, some of the villagers come over to see what had happened, including George, who instantly brightened when he saw Lavi and Bookman.  
"I see, there are two more monks in black and white now. This is very reassuring."

Nobody responds.

"I heard that you four worked together last night to repel the attack of...what were those things called again?"

"Akuma?" Lavi offers.

"Yes! That's it," George exclaims, "This is great. So, you can kill Akuma as well as vampires?"

"Well, actually we deal _exclusively_ with Akuma," Allen asserts.

"Well, Akuma and vampires are one in the same," George declares definitively," Now, I'll be back for you later this evening with the village security watch, and we can begin our journey."

Lavi's eyes widen in shock and…was it fear? "What?"

George fixes him with a hard, intense stare, "We're counting on you to solve this!"

I groan into my tea as Lavi and Allen exchange apprehensive looks. Meanwhile, Bookman has finished tending to the innkeeper, who is now sleeping peacefully. "That should do it. Now, let me have a look at your eye, Allen."

"Oh, sure." Allen gets up from the couch and goes over to Bookman, allowing him to unwrap his bandage so as to examine the wound. It's a dismal sight; Allen's eye is more shriveled and misshapen then a grape left in the sun.

Lavi gags, and Allen looks like he wants to smack him.

"It keeps getting injured, you should take better care of it," the old man remarks as he leans in closer to examine his eye. "There's almost no motion in the wound."

"Is that bad?" Allen asks.

"I'm not sure what could have caused this, but it seems your eye is as drying as a bone and utterly useless."

"That Akuma was more powerful than we thought," I declare, setting down my empty cup and getting to my feet. I'm still in my pajamas, or rather Lavi's as my own have a huge bloody hole through them, and feel rather silly as its almost noon.

"Do you think it'll heal up?" Lavi asks Bookman.

"It should heal in the same time as the one before. You're eye has already begun regenerating, perhaps your assistance won't be required like the last time, Cassandra," he adds to me.

I nod, "Good."

I'm rather surprised to be honest. Allen's healing abilities seem to have increased remarkably since our ordeal in the Rewinding Town. I wonder if I had anything to do with it; after all, I had given him more of my Blood then most, perhaps there is significance. I stop, shaking my head; I have more important thing to worry about right now.

"You should have full use out of it very soon," Bookman concludes, stepping away from Allen.

"Thank you. So, what do we do now?"

"Try and figure out what the hell's going on of course," I reply simply, "After all, that Akuma had every opportunity to kill me last night, and it didn't. I think we all want to learn why that is, as well as what General Cross has to do with all this."

"I agree with Cassandra," Bookman declares, "And the best way to do this is to go to that Castle and confront that vampire."

Lavi grins, clapping Allen on the shoulder, "You and Cassandra should be alright by yourselves, right? Even with one eye."

"Lavi, you know you're going with them."

"What?!"

"It's all part of your training."

"What are you going to do?" I ask him.

"Stay here and look after this man," Bookman gestures to the innkeeper. 'I'll fend off any pesky Akuma."

Lavi groans dramatically, "Fine, I'll go, you old panda."

"Who are you calling a panda, you red-headed fool!" Bookman snarls, kicking Lavi in the side of the head and sending him flying. "And while I'm on the subject, stop calling me _old_!"

Allen and I watch the teacher relentlessly wail on his student.  
"So, Allen, you ready to go vampire hunting?"

* * *

When night falls, George and some of the other villagers return to the inn (or what's left of it) and lead, Allen, Lavi, and me through the town and towards the line of trees that hemmed the path leading up to Krory Castle.

We walk mostly in silence, all of the villagers carrying their gardening tools including shovels, rakes, spades, some even had carved wooden stakes. George leads the procession with strings of garlic draped around his neck.

As we walk, Lavi turns to Allen.  
"How's that eye of yours holding up? Can you see?"

Allen shakes his head, still having to keep his scared eye shut. "No. 'Guess I'll have to manage without it."

"So!" Lavi continues loudly, obviously disconcerted by the silence and wanting to keep talking, "Did you hear that if you get bitten by a vampire, you'll actually turn into one?"

"I had heard of that before," Allen replies.

"Who _hasn't_ heard of that?" I add.

"If that happens to either of you, our friendship's over," Lavi declares, "Because I'm not gonna put up with the whole sucking blood thing."

"Actually, Lavi, if anyone is in danger of getting bitten, it's you," I say to him, "Legend says, vampires have a thing for redheads."

Lavi pales, "Augh! Why would you say that, Cassandra? You're kidding me."

"Wouldn't that mean you too, Cas?" Allen asks me.

"Sure, but unlike you too, I'm not bothered by it," I reply simply, "I think it would actually be pretty cool to a real live vampire, and I'd like to see him try sucking on my Blood."

"You're nuts."

"Oh, come on, Allen; you know that better than anybody."

"I just had a thought," Lavi pipes up, "We were attacked by Akuma last night; do you think its possible Kory might be an Akuma disguised as a vampire to lure us to the castle?"

Allen shrugs, "Maybe, but I've never heard of a bloodsucking Akuma before."

Before anyone of us could say anything further, George suddenly calls out, "All of you, stop where you are."

Allen, Lavi, and I freeze.  
"What?" the former hisses frantically.

"Look." George nods gravely ahead of us.

We all turn out eyes towards the end of the path to see a massive stone gate towering over us from out of the darkness. It's almost as large as the Gate at Headquarters but not nearly as bumbling and endearing. This gate is made of cold, unfeeling stone that has been twisted into many sinister shapes that sneer at us out of the shadows.

"This is it," George declares, "the gate to Krory Castle. Behind this gate lies the vampire's garden, where it is said that Akuma can be found in great numbers and beyond there lies the summit lies the Count itself, awaiting our arrival."

A shrill shriek rises up from the trees as a cluster of bats scatter into the night, howling miserably as though foretelling our doom if we take a step closer towards the castle.

Beside me, Allen gulps loudly and grabs my hand.

I sigh, smiling somewhat. I'd never met a guy who wasn't afraid to show his emotions. I liked that about Allen; he felt like a person and not a hyper-masculine oaf.

I squeeze his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, kid. I promised nothing was going to happen to you on this trip, and I keep my promises," I whisper.

Allen nods quietly, breathing deeply.

He jumps about a foot in the air not too seconds later when a low, guttural growl rips through the night, reverberating around the whole forest so that the trees seem to shake. He grabs my arm.

"Did you hear that?"

"Sure did," Lavi whispers weakly.

"Well," George says impatiently, "Go in."

However, neither Lavi or Allen made a move, both just stood there sweating in their boots.

"Come on, you pussies," I say to them, grabbing their arms in each hand and pulling them towards the gate. I knock it open with one swift kick and the rusted metal slowly creaks open.

Tentatively, we make our way into the courtyard.

It's a surprisingly well-kept, green space, as silent as a cemetery with not a soul to be seen, human or otherwise.

Lavi, Allen, and I cautiously creep forward, our eyes constantly scanning the area for any sign of movement.

Along the path line dozens of stone statues, carved from black rock each with its own sinister design. Lavi and Allen eye the statues warily, but I can't help but marvel in them.

"Hey, that's the Hand of Glory," I say, pointing to a statue of a large shriveled hand, "It's said to be the cursed left hand of a hanged man. Oh, and that's the Boar's head from the one book with the kids on the island, and that's Lucifer himself after he was slayed by St. Michael. _Paradise Lost_ , another great read. And that's-"

"Cas, would you stop?" Lavi hisses frantically.

I falter, seeing everyone is looking at me like I have three heads. "Oh, sorry."

As we continue on through the garden, still not encountering any threat. A sudden gust of wind makes Allen jump again; he swallows loudly and yanks off his glove.

"What's the matter, Allen? Why'd ya take off ya glove?" Lavi croons, "Are you scared?"

"W-What? No," Allen stammers. He then notices Lavi's hand is clasped firmly around his Hammer, "And what about you, Lavi; you're holding your Weapon pretty tight."

"I'm not scared of this Krory guy," Lavi insists laughing nervously.

I roll my eyes, "Would you two stop measuring dicks and focus?"

BANG!

"Gah!" I grab Allen's arm.

Lavi snorts. " _Now_ who's scared?"

"Shove it, Junior."

A gust of wind suddenly swoops past us, and a dark shadow flits in the corner of my vision. I barely begin to turn around when a loud scream suddenly explodes out from the back of the crowd.

Everyone panics. The villagers toss up their weapons and jump backward, screaming and shouting exclamations in Romanian. One of them falls ot the ground, trembling violently as he points a shaking finger off to the side.

"What is it?" George cries, rushing towards him. The man is too frightened to speak, just continues to point.

We all follow his hand to see a large, dark figure hunched over the body of one of the villagers. I can feel my heart change places with my stomach when I see it's the same figure from my dream: hunched, shriveled, with coal black eyes and milk white skin. Pearly fangs sunk deep into the man's tender flesh, draining his life force from him.

Before our eyes, the man begins to crumble to dust.

"N-No way," Allen breathes, just as stunned as I am.

"Is that him?" Lavi whispers.

"Yes," George's voice trembles as he and the villagers all stand frozen in fear, "Count Aryster Krory."

"So he's not a vampire," Lavi announces, laughing nervously.

"Agreed," Allen replies, grabbing my hand again, and I can feel he's shaking, "That's a vampire. That is definitely a vampire."

I sigh, shaking my head with a slight smile. "A vampire in Romania, this would actually be kind of neat if there wasn't a high probability he's going to kill us all."

* * *

A/N: Yeah, Cas is a Stoker fan, who knew? Actually, it's pretty ironic that I had that in there because Bram Stoker was actually the subject of that paper that caused me to go on hiatus a few months ago (got an A by the way:) ) I think my favorite part of this chapter was Allen and Cas trying to communicate with the villagers, that didn't happen in the actual episode but I thought it'd be funny. Quick tidbit: Krory's village doesn't have a name so i gave it one: 'Strigoi' means monster or ghost in Romanian.

Also, if any of you are interested in the origins of Cas as a character and how I came up with her, be sure to check out my profile page for the section entitled 'How I Came Up With My OCs'.  
I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review at the door:)


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I just read the new D. Gray Man manga chapter that came out this week…I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS GRRRRRRRRR!

* * *

Chapter 17: Krory Attacks

* * *

We all stand, rooted to the spot, utterly frozen in shock. It didn't take my empathic abilities to feel the fear radiating all around me.

The Count Aryster Krory is hunched over his victim; his fangs have sunk up the gums in the tender flesh of his neck, viciously drinking away.

"Franz!" George cries, rushing forward, "He's got Franz."

"Stay back"! I urge, pulling on his arm to stop him.

At my words, the vampire Krory jerks its head, its eyes coming to rest on me, Allen, Lavi and the little crowd of villagers all trembling as they grip their makeshift weapons tightly.

George shrieks and staggers backwards, nearly falling to the ground.

A low growl rises up in Krory's throat as he lets his now lifeless victim fall from his hands and slowly rises to his feet. His eyes burn into our own as he pulls his lips back into a cruel smile, blood drips thickly from between his teeth, dribbling down his chin.

Beside me, I hear Allen whisper, "This can't be real."

Krory chuckles, wiping the blood from his lips and takes a step forward. It's like a rubber band being snapped at how quickly everyone reacts. There's a unanimous scream as every villager immediately throws down their tools and bolts for the safety of the trees, shrieking and hollering in terror as they vanish into the shadows.

Meanwhile, Allen, Lavi, and I hold our ground.

"What are we going to do?" the former asks.

"I don't know, but if possible, I'd rather not fight him," Lavi declares.

"But we can't let him continue to kill the villagers, so I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice here, Lavi."

I smirk, "Then what are we waiting for."

"Oh, alright," Lavi relents before plucking his Hammer from its holster and tossing it into the air, "Innocence Activate!"

There's a flash of familiar green light that ripples throughout the courtyard as three Anti-Akuma Weapons spring to life at once.

Lavi catches his Hammer, now having grown to its larger size, while Allen brandishes his arm having transformed into its gun form.

A twisting mass of silky red tentacles curl out from under my cloak and still more pour from my fingertips.

Upon witnessing our display, the vampire Krory raises an eyebrow in intrigue; now that the light of our Innocence has banished some of the shadows from the darkened courtyard, I can see his face more clearly.

He's a relatively young man with sickly pale skin, white lips and deep crease across his brow; his teeth are the size of a shark's and his eyes are coal black with yellow pupils. His dark hair is spiked with a single white streak slicing through the center.

Krory cackles, "Am I to understand that you're actually going to fight me? How very brave of you."

"Hey, remember, if either of you get bitten, we're through," Lavi calls to us.

"That goes both ways," Allen replies.

Krory bares his fangs and charges. Allen sticks the barrel of his gun into the ground and fires, shattering through the cobblestones.

Dust explodes up from the wrecked ground, but the swarming dirt doesn't deter Krory in the least. The smoke dissipates just in time for him to pounce on Allen, who isn't given any time to react.

"No you don't!" I call, coiling a thick strand around his throat and sending him flying back, crashing into a tree.  
I turn to Allen, "Hey, what's the matter with you?"

He coughs, trying to blink the dust out of his one working eye. "Sorry. He wasn't moving that fast before."

"Well, he is operating on a full stomach now," I remind him, just as Krory gets to his feet and pounces again.

"Get down!" Allen calls, and I flatten myself into the dirt as he fires his gun again and again. Krory easily sidesteps each bullet which explodes in a burst of light behind him.

"Cas, hold him in place!" I hear Lavi yell from somewhere above me. I quickly lift myself back up into a kneeling position and shoot out my whips of Blood.

Timing it well enough, I manage to coil a single thread around the vampire's ankle, stopping him in his tracks. Krory jerks his body, glancing down at the Blood rope in astonishment, having been so focused on dodging Allen's attacks.

"Big Hammer. Little Hammer!" Krory's eyes shoot skyward in time to see Lavi's gargantuan Hammer, now the size of a house, come down on his head.

There's a loud crash as Lavi brings his Weapon down on top of the vampire, dust flies up everywhere, momentarily obscuring the scene, but as it clears, I see right away that the fight is not over.

Krory has somehow managed to balance the tip of Lavi's Hammer between his set of razor-sharp teeth, balancing the Hammer and holding it up and out of harm's way.

My mouth fell open in shock; Lavi looked equally surprised.

"Holy crap, this guy's got some crazy teeth, don't he?'

Krory strains somewhat against the Hammer's bulk, but it only lasts a second before he jerks his head to the side and sends both the Weapon and Lavi flying across the courtyard and directly into one of the stone statues.

He then turns to me.

 _Shit._

Krory swings his leg outward, pulling my Blood up into the air and yanking me with it.  
"Whoa!" I cry as I'm pulled off my feet and sent sprawling.

Krory chuckles as I crash to the ground; his long, spindly fingers grasp at the other end of the Blood rope curled tightly around his ankle.  
"Is this what I think it is? How interesting," he purrs.

I grit my teeth as I stagger to my feet; my arms tighten as I try to hold onto my end of the Blood.

"Cas, let go!" Allen calls from behind me.

I obliged, and my blood shatters just as the ground directly below the vampire explodes again. Dirt erupts all around us, nearly blinding me as I stagger about in the dark.

"I missed!" I hear Allen yell.

"Shit," I fall to one knee, frantically rubbing at my eyes.

"Cas! Behind you."

I jump up and spin around, blindly throwing a punch, but it misses its mark.  
The next thing I know, Krory has curled its arm around my neck and is pressing me up against his chest.

"Such pretty red hair," he whispers in my ear, "Red like the blood in your veins. I wonder how it tastes."

"Let her go," Allen commands. I see him standing a short way from us; Lavi is nowhere in sight.

Krory looks to him and smiles. "You're not really in the position to be making demands."

"Listen. Stop fighting now, and no one has to get heart."

As he speaks, Allen transforms his arm back into its basic claw form.

Krory eyes it curiously before he erupts into another bout of manic laughter.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lavi pick himself up from a pile of rubble.

"What curious little brats," Krory croons, "To think you've fought me for this long and still continue to draw breath. You must be monsters as well."

"Not exactly," I reply, "We're Exorcists."

"Exorcists? Really?" Krory turns back to me, "How fascinating. What do you taste like? Let's find out!"  
With that, he sinks is teeth into the side of my neck.

"Gah!" I cry as I feel my Blood explode out from the puncture wounds and flood the famished vampire's mouth.

"Cas!" Allen cries.

"He bite her!" Lavi exclaims.

Krory suddenly recoils with a shriek. "It burns. It burns!" He screams, giving me enough time to push myself away from him as he recoils, collapsing to his knees and retching violently. "You're blood, it's disgusting," he snarls as I stumble and fall to the ground, gripping the place where his fangs had pierced me.

With one final snarl, Krory leapt over to the fallen village, gathered up him up and swept away, vanishing into the shadows almost instantly.

"Cas," I feel Allen beside me as I sit there, fingers pressed to my neck, trying to make sense of what just happened. "Cas, are you alright?"

He makes to kneel down beside me, but Lavi suddenly appears, jerking him back.  
"Allen, what are you doing? You saw what happened: Krory bit her! She's going to turn into a vampire!"

"No, Cas…" Allen trails off as I slowly get to my feet, still holding the wound as it stung slightly. I wonder if the fangs are venomous; that might be good to know.

"I'm not going to turn into a vampire," I snap, "That only happens if you're a virgin, so I'm fine."

Lavi looks at me in confusion while Allen's face instantly burns bright red.

"In any case," Lavi takes several generous steps backwards.

Allen rolls his eyes before taking a step closer to me, "Here. Let me see."

As he makes to move my hand away, I'm suddenly overwhelmed with emotions so intense I'm nearly knocked off my feet.

Tears spill from my eyes so fast I hardly even register them as a crushing misery slams into my chest so heavily I'm nearly certain my Innocence heart has been crushed to dust.

Allen stares at me in shock as my knees buckle and I fall to the ground, sobbing.  
"Cas, are you alright?" Allen kneels down and tentatively reaches out towards me.

I slap his hand away as the tide shifts from sorrow to violent, violent anger.  
"Do I _look_ fine, you disgusting, human boy?" I snarl with a rage that isn't my own, "I'm a monster? You hear me? A monster."

I falter, my voice catches in my throat as Allen staggers back, his face full of shock and hurt.  
"C-Cas?"

My eyes widen in realization. "Oh, Kid…Kid, that wasn't me. I'm sorry that wasn't…" My voice trails off as more tears catch in my throat.

Allen's expression relaxes to one of understanding as he sits down beside me and reaches up to gently brush the tears from my eyes. "Another empathic episode?"

I nod. "Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"I know you didn't."

"Are you sure she's not just turning into a vampire?!" Lavi calls from a few yards away.

"Would you knock it off, Lavi? I'm fine," I snap.

"Victory has come to the black clergyman against the vampire Krory!" We turn to see George and the other villagers peeking out at us from behind the trees, "God has truly smiled on us in this day. Come men," he calls to the other villagers, who all throw their arms up and cheer:

"Hip, hip, hooray!"

Allen looks at them oddly.  
"Then why are you still standing so far away?"

"Because they saw Cas was bitten and they think she's going to turn into a bloodsucker!" Lavi yells.

I glare at him. "Lavi, get over here. We need to get to the Castle." Brushing a few lingering tears from my face, I jump back to my feet, Allen following suit. "That is, if you're not too afraid of me."

"Why do we need to go to the Castle?" the young Bookman inquires.

"Because Krory abducted a villager, remember?" I reminded him, breezing past Lavi and heading further into the courtyard. "He could still be alive in there."

"Cas is right, we need to hurry," Allen agrees.

"Krory always takes his victims inside the Castle, and they never come out! It's happened every time!" George yells to us from across the courtyard.

Lavi's shoulders slump. "Yeah, but if there's even the smallest chance," he scrunches up his face in discomfort, "Oh, alright, I suppose we should hurry."

Allen nodded in agreement before turning back to George and the other villagers.  
"Mayor, we want you and the others to wait in the village while we go investigate the Castle!"

"Oh, don't worry!" George assures him, "We now know that, if humans fights monsters, it's far too easy for us to lose our lives. We best leave it to the monks."

The other villagers all cheered in agreement, and didn't waste any time clearing out of the courtyard.

Lavi looks to Allen and me in confusion. "Wait, does he mean we're monsters too?"

Allen sighs, shaking his head.  
"Come on."

I glance up at the heavily shadowed Castle looming ahead of us as Allen, Lavi, and I begin scaling the slope; my mind wanders back to what appeared to be an empathic episode.

 _I'm not a monster; am I?_

Those thoughts continue to circle around in my mind, but are they my own or someone else's?

* * *

Despite the door to the Castle being wide open, the inside of the vampire's abode is as silent as a crypt. The walls are black, and floor is made of polished purple stone and a gigantic chandelier is suspended over our heads, its wire frame looks skeletal in the darkness.

Despite the overall gloom of the place, I notice that everything is as neat as a pin; it seems that although he's a bloodsucking monster, Krory seems to take painstaking care in the Castle's upkeep: there isn't a hair out of place.

Lavi, who had been griping the whole way up the hill, grumbles to himself.  
"Seriously, we're _Exorcists_ ; why do we have to deal with this vampire?"

"I don't know," Allen replies, his voice echoing through the cavernous hall.

"What do you suppose brought Cross here?" I inquire glancing about. Based on what little I'd heard about my grandmother's formal apprentice, this didn't really seem like his scene: there's a distinct lack of booze.

"What I think is strange is that he left a message about us," Allen replies, "Like he knew we were going to come to help these people."

"Yeah, that is pretty shady," I agree as we begin to climb the winding staircase, lined in a wine-colored carpet.

At the top of the stairs, the landing splits into two separate hallways with a gigantic gargoyle statue marking the fork in the road. Its stone eyes almost seem to follow us as we turn right and head down an even darker corridor.

"I can't help but feel that my Master and this vampire case are connected," Allen continues.

" _Of course_ they are!" Lavi exclaims as we round a corner, "If not, then why are we even here?"

"Hey, do you smell something?" Allen suddenly cries, stopping short as he claps a hand over his nose and mouth.

Lavi falls to the floor a second later.

"Lavi!" I cry, crouching down beside him and shaking his shoulders in an attempt to rouse him, but he's in a dead faint.

As I try to revive him, my vision starts to swim, becoming tinged in a curious pink hue as though I am literally seeing the world through rose tinted shades. I suddenly don't care about Lavi anymore as a heavy cloud of numbness slowly descends upon my body.

My feet give out under me, and I fall to my knees; I squeeze my eye shut as my Blood pounds furiously in my skull, trying to correct the problem with my system.

"Cas," Allen drops down in front of me, "Cas, Cas! Stay with me," he slaps my cheeks lightly in an attempt to keep me conscious. I struggle desperately: my eyes sting and my head feels like it's full of cotton. "Come on, Cas; breathe through your mouth."

My eyelids flutter, feeling as heavy as lead; I blink rapidly, trying to keep them open, when I suddenly notice something: leering out through the pink mists is a gigantic flower with petals. Its petals are as long as my arm, bright pink and speckled with purple spots. As I look at it, the flower suddenly opens revealing a circular hole in the center overflowing with huge, razor-sharp teeth.

"Kid!" I yell, my adrenaline immediately rocketing my body back into clarity.

Allen whirls around in time to see three more flowers rise up from the nest of vines and leaves carpeting the floor. I use his arm to support me as I pull myself to my feet as more of the same tooth-filled blossoms sprout up from the ground and slowly move towards us.

"I knew it," Allen says through gritted teeth, "We're in trouble."

"I could have told you that," I snap as the flowers click their teeth together, saliva spilling from their lipless mouths as they press in around us. "Feed me, Seymour," I whisper.

"Lavi, wake up!" Allen calls, jerking his head towards the still unconscious Bookman. He doesn't even stir. "Lavi, come on."

I make to move towards him again, but Allen grabs my arm to stop me.  
"Wait! Don't make any sudden moves."

I look at his arm, "Then what do you call that."

Allen pales. Behind him, the flower roars.

"Shit."

"Run!" Allen tightens his grip and pulls me out of the way just as the flower pounces, crashing down on the spot we'd been standing in just seconds before.

Allen and I sprint across the room as more and more of the pink flowers slither along the floor towards us, snapping their jaws hungrily like a pack of venomous cobras.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy something that makes me pause.  
"Lavi!" I cry seeing a group of the flowers having entangled him in their veins and are slowly pulling him towards their waiting mouths.

A crushing pressure suddenly weighing down on my arm draws my eyes from him to see that a flower is crunching on said limb.

Allen's Innocence erupts to life in a flash of green light.  
"Cas, don't move!"

The blast whizzes past my ear and the flower explodes in a shower of pink dust, nearly knocking me off my feet.

Allen steadies me. "You okay?'

I slowly nod. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

CRASH!

A flower makes a dive for Allen, who sidesteps just in time as the tiles beside him shatter. The flower draws back, shaking its head as it spits out pieces of ceramic.

While it's distracted, I shoot out a whip of Blood and coil around the base of the flower head, constricting it. I do the same to another that tries to sneak up behind me before yanking the both together, allowing them to tear each other apart in a mess of teeth and petals.

I turn to Allen, straining slightly. "We have to get to Lavi."

"On it." Allen then turns his gun and fires at the next line of flowers closing in on us.

I coat my body in Blood to provide an armor and take off running into the tangled patch of plants, dodging exploding flowers as I go.

I spy Lavi suspended amongst the vines, still unmoving.  
"Lavi! Lavi, can you hear me?" I call, slicing a pouncing flower in half and then shooting out a string to coil around Lavi's waist, another slices through the vines.

The flowers shriek and leap towards us as I pull Lavi towards me.

"Cas!" Explosions go off all around me as Allen decimates the flowers.

I hit the ground, my Blood-coated arms encircle Lavi's head to protect him as I roll out of the way of the disintegrating flowers and falling debris.

Once out of immediate harm's way, I flop down on my back, letting Lavi fall from my grasp and slump onto his side beside me.  
I gasp, breathing heavily as I turn to look at him.  
"Lavi?" I sit up and crawl over to him, "Lavi, you alright?" I grab his shoulder and shake him slightly. "Lavi!"

Another explosion goes off as more of the flowers fall to Allen's weapon.

"Ugh," Lavi groans, his eyes fluttering slightly.

"Lavi!" I cry as he opens them fully and looks around, bleary.

Another explosion. I throw myself on top of him as more rocks fall around us, crushing the prowling flowers.

"C-Cassandra?"

"Stop this at once!" A voice suddenly cries, "How dare you destroy Aryster Krory's precious flowers."

Lavi and I both sit up and turn towards the door to see probably the sexiest woman I've ever seen standing in the doorway beside a batter old wheelbarrow.  
Her skin is like porcelain: silky and smooth with a toned, voluptuous body. Her golden blonde hair is curled up into twin pigtails; she has long eyelashes and warm, coffee colored eyes. The best part: she's wearing a skimpy, purple nurse's outfit.

"Whoa, I wouldn't mind her sitting on my face," I whisper.  
Lavi seems to agree with me as sits bolt upright, all fatigue immediately leaving him as he's practically drooling.

The woman perks up, "I feel the lusty eyes of a stranger." She turns towards Lavi and me, "Hi."

My insides feel something akin to jelly; I close my eyes and try to center myself.

Lavi, meanwhile, has lost all control.  
"Oh my God, she's gorgeous!" he exclaims, starry-eyed as he leaps to his feet.

The woman's cheeks turn pink. "Oh my." She giggles, winking seductively at him.

I lick my dry lips, scrambling to my feet as well as Lavi moves to stagger towards him.

"Lavi, wait, hang on," I try to grab for him, but his sleeve slips from my grasp as he bounds up the rubble towards the woman.

"Ah, she's totally my type!"

"Cas!" Allen comes up behind me just as two more flowers rear their heads, unfurling to reveal hungry maws. "Lavi! Wait!" Allen cries.

"I'll get him," I start forward, but I suddenly feel teeth sink into my leg.

"Cas!" Allen cries again as I'm suddenly thrown off my feet and crash rather unceremoniously into a pile of debris in the corner.  
"Ah," I groan, squeezing my eyes shut as the room starts to spin, and the flower continues to chomp on my leg.  
A familiar metallic taste fills my mouth; my eyes snap open and suddenly the flower is consumed in dozens of Blood wrappings until it's practically crushed.  
I sit up, Blood pouring from practically every orifice.  
As it streams down my face, I look around in a sense of clarity for the first time since entering the room of flowers.

I see Lavi still drooling after the woman.  
She chuckles, grasping his chin. "Such a handsome boy. Would you like to be my lover?"

Lavi beams. "Would I!"

I roll my eyes before shooting out the Blood towards him, wrapping Lavi completely up so that his arms and legs are pinned to his sides. He yells in protest as I tug him away from the woman and pull him back over to Allen and me.

"What'd ya do that for, Cas?" Lavi cries.

"Lavi, don't you pay attention?" Allen snaps, "How could you let a girl like that distract you? Didn't you notice we're about to be eaten here?"

Lavi sighs, rolling his eyes. "Oh, Allen, you are such a child."

"I agree with you there," I remark, unfurling my Blood and releasing him.

Meanwhile, the woman glares at Allen. "What do you mean: 'a girl like that'?" But she falters, her eyes wavering on my chest.  
For a second I think she's staring at my boobs (or lack there off) but then realize it's actually the silver pin on my cloak that's caught her attention.  
"That crest…they're Exorcists," she whispers before promptly straightening up and placing a hand over her large chest, "My name is Eliade; I am Aryster Krory's assistant. Now, I'd appreciate you telling me what kind of business has brought you to our castle."

"Sure!" Lavi exclaims brightly, "It's about the vampire."

"We're here to search the premises for the villager taken by the Count," Allen adds.

Eliade raises an eyebrow. "A villager was taken here? Really?" She smirks before turning to the wheelbarrow and grasping the handles, raising it off the ground. "Do you know what this is?"

Lavi looks confused, "Uh, a wheelbarrow."

"I mean what's in it," Elide chuckles as she slides the wheelbarrow down towards us; a large black coffin falls from it and rolls through the rubble, the lid flying away to reveal an ashen body lying prone inside it.

"Franz!" Allen and Lavi rush forward.

The ground shifts under them.  
"Get back!" I wrap twin streams of Blood around their ankles, yanking them out of harm's way just as the ground erupts and another pack of carnivorous flowers explode out of the dirt and descend upon the corpse.

The air is sound alive with the sounds of their sharp teeth ripping and tearing at the flesh; blood pools into the cobblestones as Allen, Lavi, and I all look on in horror.

After one final sickening slurp, the flowers raise their heads, refolding their petals as they growl with pleasure at their fist, but they suddenly morph into whimpers of pain as the petals began to quiver and writhe.

As Eliade turns and briskly leaves the room, we all stand and watch, shocked as a series of familiar black pentacles appear all along the flower petals.

My eyes widen. "What the-?"

KABOOM!

The room is consumed in smoke and fire as the flowers explode like a bunch of bombs, going off one by one each with a louder bang than the last.

The floor shakes and then begins to give way; Allen, Lavi, and I are knocked off our feet by the force and heat of the explosions.

I hit the ground and roll over onto my side; scrambling, I see Allen lying beside me.  
"Come on!" I grab his hand and pull Lavi to his feet with the other hand as we make a run for it.

The flowers shriek as the infection spreads and one after another they go up in smoke; the flames explode outward, lapping at our heels as we race down the hall.

The floor crumbles after each step until finally we run out of room and are pushed out a window.  
Fire at our back, stone at our sides and nothing but firm ground several stories below.  
For a split second, Lavi, Allen, and I are weightless before the fire catches up with us, knocking us into free-fall.

Allen's arm activates and his claws grip an outcropping on the Castle, ducking just below the explosion's line of fire.

I gasp as he snatches my wrist with his other hand, and I grab Lavi. Allen breaks our fall only temporarily as the outcropping caves under our weight and we crash to the floor, falling into the coarse, yellow grass of some kind of backyard.

I sit up on my hands and knees, coughing and spitting bits of dirt and grass out of my mouth; my ears are ringing and I shake my head frantically, trying to regain feeling in my body.

Beside me, Lavi sits up, breathing heavily. "W-We are so amazing; I-I can't believe survived that."

"Yeah," I agree before turning to Allen and knocking him lightly in the shoulder, "Good catch."

"Thanks," he smiles weakly.

Lavi pales. "I don't feel so good."

As Lavi loses his dinner in the dirt, Allen and I get to our feet, Timcampy buzzing around our heads, trying to get a sense of where we are.

"Hey, what's that," Allen asks. I turn to see he's referring to a display under a dead tree across the yard consisting of a small circle of several mounds of dirt each with a large stone sticking out of the top.

I raise an eyebrow. "A graveyard."

We make our way over to it, Lavi following us after a moment.  
"Well, these graves don't look very nice, do they? Ya think they were pets?"

"Lot of dead fish," I remark sarcastically, running my fingers through my long red hair; I'd lost my hat during the fight upstairs, and no longer had anything to keep it off my face.

Allen, who is examining the graves keenly, grabs his chin in thought.  
"I think…it's possible we may have found the missing villagers, Lavi."

Lavi looks alarmed, but I quickly see what Allen is referring to.  
"Right, that Eliade woman had Franz in a coffin; she was probably on her way to bury him here."

Allen nods. "Yes, and there are eight graves, which would match the number of villagers taken."

"Hold on," Lavi interjects, "But George said nine people were killed."

"Yeah, but the first victim evaporated to dust, remember?" I remind him.

Allen bends down to the grave nearest him, "So, these are probably-" He reaches out to touch the crude headstone, but it tips over, falling with a thump into the dirt mound.

Allen jumps back, startled.

"You broke it!" Lavi cries.

"I barely touched it," Allen insists, bending down to correct the stone, but something makes him pause.

"What is it?" I ask, coming up behind him.

"Cas, look at this," Allen points at the dirt, "Lavi, get over here."

I crouch down beside Allen as Lavi runs over to us.  
My eyes widen when I focus in on the spot Allen is referring to: there are black stars burned quite distinctly into the soil.

"Pentacles!" Lavi cries, "No mistake: traces of Akuma blood."

Allen looks disturbed. "Then could this be a graveyard for Akuma?"

"Who would do that?" I ask.

Allen straightens up, "I don't know; let's check all the other graves to see if they have the same marks."

We do so: all three of us spreading out amongst the small cluster of graves, sifting through the raised soil in search of any trace of the distinct black stars.

Each grave is the same as the first with stars marking every single one.

"Every single one of these graves houses an Akuma," Allen exclaims.

"The blood must have seeped into the soil after the bodies started to decompose," I surmise.

"And in the flower chamber," Allen continues, "Did you see? What made the flowers explode?"

"The same pentacles appeared on their petals."

"So, the flowers…" Lavi trails off, "Ate an Akuma?"

"Seems like it," Allen proclaims gravely, "But what I do know for sure is there's a lot more going on here than just vampire."

I nod in agreement.

"So, what now?" Lavi asks.

"I think we should dig up one of these graves."

I grimace, "Do we have to?"

"It's the only way to know for sure."

"Ugh, fine."

"Look, Cassandra," Lavi starts, "If you're going to be a girl about it, you could just-Ow!" He's cut off as I smack him.

"Just get me a shovel, Book-boy," I snap, yanking up the collar to my jacket to mask my nose form the smell.

Lavi manages to find a shovel leaning against the dead tree; after choosing a grave, we all take turns digging it up.

After I take my turn, Lavi does his bit, then Allen.

As the latter shovels away, Lavi and I keep watch beside the grave, the former having pulled his orange kerchief over his mouth as the smell of rot grew worse.

It truly is putrid.

I look back to Allen, who's still digging away. The kid's got incredible stamina, and he looks so cute with his hair pulled back to keep it off his face.

 _Stop_ , I close my eyes, shaking my head.

"What is it, Cas?"

"Huh?"

"You're staring at me."

"Oh! Uh, nothing. It's just, how come you weren't affected by those flowers we encountered upstairs."

The kid smiles at that, "I've built up a bit of an immunity since I encountered them before."

"When was that?" Lavi inquires.

"It was a while ago: Master Cross was growing flowers just like those."

Lavi's eyes widen, "Do you think those flowers were planted by Cross then?"

"It's possible the two are related," Allen replies as he continues to dig away; his shovel suddenly strikes something hard.

"Jackpot," I declare, Lavi and I jump to our feet.

Allen crouches down, brushing away the remaining dirt with his fingers to uncover another black coffin, those one slowly beginning to rot.

Allen and I each then take one end of the lid and hoist it off the coffin to reveal the skeletal corpse resting inside.  
However, what lies under the dissolving flesh is not normal bone remains but a rather glossy metallic structure with a distinct black star painted with the skull's eyes should be.

"Just as we thought," Lavi declares gravely, "It's an Akuma."

We then proceed to dig up each and every single one of the grades: within an hour, all of the coffins had been raised and uncovered to reveal the same scene.

"Every single one of these graves houses an Akuma," Lavi exclaims in astonishment.

"Do you realize what this means, guys?" Allen asks, "All of the villagers Krory has attacked have been Akuma."

"And he seems repulsed by the taste of normal blood," I add, "Remember? When he tried to drink my blood, it burned him."

"Of course, if the Count is only attacking Akuma and not human beings…" Allen trails off.

"Then this mission is no longer a cut and dry vampire elimination," Lavi finishes for him, "Krory must be something else."

I cross my arms over my chest, "But if Krory isn't a vampire like we originally thought then-"

"Lavi!"

Allen cry of warning comes too soon and is followed by the blunt sound of impact as a black cloaked figure knocks Lavi in the side of the head and sends him flying into the stone wall framing the yard.  
He hits the wall with a sickening crunch, uprooting several stones, and falls the ground with a groan, lying still in a pile of rubble.

I whirl around to see Krory standing behind me; his white fangs gleaming as he grins maliciously at us.  
"You three have made me very angry."

He then rushes at Allen and me; we both jump to the side, activating our Innocence as we dodged in opposite directions. Krory chases us up the side of the Castle, swiping at us with his long black claws.

We manage to evade him up onto the battlements, each landing on a parapet with Krory dropping down between us, cutting me off from Allen.

 _If, Krory isn't a vampire, than he's…_

The Count snarls as he lunges for me. I flip backwards off the battlement and land back in the yard, back handspringing a few times over to gain distance.

Allen drops down beside me, followed by Krory crashing down before us; his whole form trembles with rage but that sadistic smile never leaves his face.

"I can't believe his speed," Allen whispers to me.

"Must have drank more blood," I surmise. "We can't keep dodging him forever, you know?"

Allen rounds on the Count, "Krory! Listen to me-"

But Krory charges, and Allen only just manages to dodge.

"Kid!" I cry as Krory repeatedly swipes at his form, Allen miraculously able to dodge each time with the sword form of his weapon.

He scrambles back, moving backward as Krory pins him against the tree. He swipes at Allen's head, and he barely misses.

I rush forward, Blood erupting from my arm and shooting out to coil around a branch above their heads; I yank it free with a crack and bring it down on Krory's head, knocking the vampire back away from Allen.

He yelps in pain like a wounded dog, staggering somewhat as he seethes, attempting to regain his bearings.  
I run to put myself between Allen and Krory, preparing for the next assault.

"Cas, wait!" I turn to see Allen has deactivated his weapon.

Krory notices too; he laughs. "What the matter, giving up? Afraid you'll end up like your friend?"

I glance over at Lavi still lying out cold by the wall.  
 _Second time in the span of an hour; guy's having a rough day._

Allen steps forward, "Listen to me; we don't have to fight." He gestures over to the dug up cemetery, "The bodies in all these coffins, they're Akuma not human. Were you aware of that?"

"Do you even know what one is?" I add.

Krory seems intrigued. "Akuma?"

"Count Aryster Krory, are you a vampire or are you something else?" Allen inquires.

"Mind your own business, boy," Krory snarls, "I think you should be worrying less about me and more about your girlfriend?"

"What?"

In a flash, Krory vanishes; I feel a draft and a flurry of motion followed by the sting of his fangs sinking into my skin, reopening the wound from earlier."

"Cas!" Allen rushes forward as I elbow Krory in the stomach. He jumps back with a snarl as Allen pulls me away. I feel the free-flowing Blood squirting out from the twin puncture marks.  
I take my hand from my throat to see my glove's covered in Blood; I grimace.

Krory chuckles, "You're blood tastes disgusting."

"Human blood laced with Innocence, I'd imagine so," I reply.

" _Human?_ " Krory scoffs, "Don't kid yourself; you're a monster, and you know it."

I wince; the vampire's unknowingly opening up old wounds.

"Akuma and vampires have nothing to do with me, do you hear me?" Krory continues, "I'm just a simple man who lives inside this Castle." He flourishes his next words with a sweep of his cape, "With the lovely Eliade, we will live here undisturbed for eternity." He throws his head back and cackles gleefully, "And I'll kill anyone that disturbs me, including you!"

He rushes us yet again; this is getting ridiculous.

Allen and I jump parallel to each other, but Krory picks one of us this time.

"Cas, watch out!"

I barely turn around before I'm knocked in the chest with a force so hard it's as if I'd been T-boned by a train.

I'm sent flying backwards, changing trajectory in mid-air as I'm rocketed backward by the force of Krory's punch and sent careening through the side of the Castle's nearest tower.

I hear it more than feel it; it sounds like a gun going off as dust and debris spray all around me. Everything is a blur as I hit the floor and a sharp angle; my shoulder crunches under me, and the floor caves in, most of the floorboards giving way under my weight and I slid down into the room directly below.

When everything stops spinning, I come back to clarity with a face full of dusty carpet. I cough, groaning as alarm bells start going off in my head.

My wrist's definitely broken, and my shoulder's in pieces is my assessment as I slowly shift into a sitting position.  
"Jesus Christ, I thought I wasn't going to stop," I murmur, spitting bits of rock dust out of my mouth. I look up at the large hole I'd made in the ceiling, "Why don't we just do one more floor while we're add it."

Never tempt fate.

God had a sense of humor.

When I could see again, I found myself sprawled along a flight of stone steps that curved around a corner back to the base of the tower. I sat up, coughing and waving the dust from my eyes. Gripping my wounded arm with one hand, thickly coated in blood, I slowly stagger to my feet.

Fireworks are going off in my skull as I stumble my way down the stairs; my whole body's numb as the shock lingers in my system, and stars continue to circle, so I can barely see.

Round and round and…Wait.

I blink, trying to readjust my eyes to the dark, windowless Castle hall.  
Is it my imagination or is something really flying around my head. Maybe I'm concussed.  
Well, I'm definitely concussed, but what's flying around my head is not a star, but rather a tiny golden golem.

"Oh, there you are, Timcampy," I smile weakly as the little creature flutters over to nuzzle against my cheek.

A loud bang coming from outside nearly makes me lose my balance. I glance in the direction I'd come from; the fight outside seems miles away.

"I should probably get back to them," I think, pausing at the bottom of the stairs to try and recollect myself. The wall suddenly slides open and I fall over the threshold with a cry of surprise.

I hit the ground hard and sit up, cursing and gripping my still injured shoulder.

This Castle is about as sturdy as paper mache. However, when I look over my shoulder, I see that the wall had caved in but rather I'd fallen through a hidden door in the wall.

I'm getting to my feet when a sound reaches my ears that makes me freeze where I am; it's a low kind of seething, gasping, growl with smacking and crunching, groaning and moaning.

Slowly, I turn around to see the shadow of some large, twisted shape pulsating against the wall.

"Gah!" I stagger back, straight into some very hard surface.

"Hello. If it isn't the red-haired girl from before."

I spin around to see Eliade standing directly behind me.

My eyes widen. "It's you!"

She rolls her eyes, averting her attention from me as she goes back to dusting her face with a heavy makeup powder. "Not very lady-like to bust into someone's private room like this."

My eyes narrow as I look at her. "I'm the antithesis of lady-like." I falter when I notice something peeking out from under the strap of her dress: its' a distinct crescent-shaped array of several puncture wounds: teeth marks.

"You were bitten."

Eliade sighs, "I know; I was hoping it would heal by now." She then proceeds to powder it as well before curtly slamming the makeup case shut.

I raise an eyebrow.

Suddenly, a slimy grey projectile shoots out of nowhere and slams into me; I gasp as the wind is ripped from me and I'm violently flattened against a bookcase along the far wall.

I choke, breathing heavily as I struggle against Eliade's morphed arm crushing against my torso.  
"W-What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh, Aryster," Eliade croons, "I knew I couldn't trust you to take care of this little bitch."

She presses against me still further, and I cry out, feeling my reinforced ribs digging into my tender insides.

"How annoying; I let him suck my blood, and he still couldn't finish the job," Eliade's eyes blaze with fury. "Do I have to do everything myself around here?"

She presses still further. I grit my teeth, trying to ground out the pressure. The weight of my ribs alone is enough to crush me.

Eliade cocks her head to the side as she watches me write; her full lips are pulled back into a wicked-looking smile. "Let's finish what we started, I should have killed you when I had the chance, but I thought you'd leave us in peace. You should have listened, you little Exorcist whore!"  
Her voice grows hoarse as her faces morphs to a sallow, grey shade with gigantic black eyes gleaming with scarlet pupils.

I barely have time to register this transformation before Eliade yanks me from the wall only to slam me back into it. A bang goes off in my head, and I feel my brain rattle against my skull.

 _Not good._

Blood drips from my mouth.

The mass of grey flesh protruding from Eliade's arm slowly creeps its way along my chest; the feeler pressing harder and harder to every part of my body.

I gasp, choking forcefully as I begin finding it harder and harder to breath.

Eliade regards me thoughtfully. "What's wrong, girly? Aren't you going to fight back?"

I look at her through half-lidded eyes; my mind is a fog. I slowly tilt my head back and pull back my lips, allowing the Blood to dripple down my chin and alight onto Eliade's mutated arm.

She shrieks as the sizzling droplets touch her, pulling back instantly and letting me crumple to the floor.  
My whole body screams as I try to gather strength, try to harness Blood, but it won't come.

Eliade rushes forward, slamming me back against the bookcase as her now both normal hands close around my throat, her finely manicured nails scraping against my skin.

I gag, coughing and choking as she squeezes my windpipe, blocking my airway. Little lights pop and spark across my steadily darkening vision.

"What's wrong? Can't breathe?" Eliade croons, "You haven't seen anything yet."

With that, she sticks her hand through my chest.

I scream.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Eliade's Truth

* * *

 _"Cas!" I land on the ground and turn in time to see Krory knock Cas into the side of the Castle tower; her body breaks through the wall, and she crashes out of sight._

 _When she doesn't resurface, I feel a burst of panic as I bolt towards the wall, but Krory drops down in front of me, cutting me off._

 _"Going somewhere?" he sneers._

 _There's a sudden explosion and then a burst of light followed by the blunt sound of impact._

 _I'm thrown off my feet as Lavi brings his Hammer down directly on top of Krory._

 _The young Bookman perches on the top of his gigantic Weapon, smirking. "You should never turn your back on me; it takes more than that to keep me down."_

 _"Lavi!" I call to him._

 _He looks towards me just as the ground beneath his Hammer shifts, and Krory suddenly erupts up from under it, knocking the Hammer askew and nearly sending Lavi flying._

 _He corrects himself just in time, realigning the Weapon.  
"Take this!" he slams it down, but Krory dodges it this time._

 _I try to run at him from behind, my gun blazing, but he easily sidesteps both our attacks._

 _It's no good; he's too fast._

 _And what about Cas?_

 _"Hey, where's Cassandra?" Lavi asks me._

 _"She got hit, knocked into the building," I pointed up at the large hole in the side of the castle wall._

 _Lavi looks towards it, "She hasn't come out yet?"_

 _Krory chuckles, "I doubt she'll ever come out again."_

 _"Don't say that!" I yell at him._

 _Lavi regards me, "Hey, Allen; why don't you go make sure Cassandra is okay?"_

 _I look to him, startled. "But what about you?"_

 _My fellow Exorcist smirks, "Don't worry about me; I'll take out this wannabe vampire no problem."_

 _Krory arches an eyebrow at his declaration, "Oh really? You think you can handle me all by yourself." He crouches low, ready to pounce as he bears his fangs, "You are sorely mistaken."_

 _Lavi grins, "We'll see."_

 _"Alright, I won't be long," I assure him_

 _"Take your time," Lavi replies confidently, "I'll kick his ass and then we can talk later."_

 _I turn away from them just as Krory lunges; I hear the thunderous crash of him colliding with Lavi's Weapon, but I turn and, reverting my arm back to its clawed form, use it to scale the side of the Castle tower towards the spot I'd last seen Cas._

 _I quickly scramble through the smashed wall and end up in one of the tower's circular rooms; the center of the floor has caved in, creating a large hole, which I quickly jump through, landing on a spiral staircase that's covered in dust and debris._

 _In the distance, I can hear Lavi and Krory still going at it with plenty of loud bangs and crashes for indication._

 _I glance around, squinting through the gloom.  
"Cas?" I hesitantly whisper._

 _No response._

 _"Cas?" I try again, a little louder, slowly making my way down the cracked, debris-covered stairs. The sound of loudly fluttering wings reaches my ear, and I jerk my head in time to see Timcampy zip up the stairs towards me.  
My eyes widen, "Tim! I was wondering where you'd gotten to." Timcampy uncurls his lipless 'mouth' and proceeds to frantically tug on a strand of my hair with his sharp teeth._

 _"Ow. Ow! What is it, Tim?" I ask, reaching up to pry him off me. He wriggles from my grasp and flaps ahead of me, jerking his whole body as though he's repeatedly gesturing to something down the hall._

 _My eyes grow larger as realization dawns on me.  
"Did you-Did you find Cas?"_

 _My golem vehemently nods._

 _"Well, where is she? Take me to her!" I cry. Timcampy obliges, zipping down the hall at breakneck speed with me furiously sprinting along after him._

 _As I run, a single sentence repeats over and over in my head like a mantra.  
Please be alright, please be alright, please be alright._

 _It's times like these that I wish I had Cas's empathic ability or at least that it worked both ways._

 _Eventually, I reach the end of the hall, but all I come to is a very solid, very empty wall.  
Despite this, Timcampy repeatedly beats his little body against it._

 _"Tim, what are you doing?"_

 _The golem just continues to smack his face against the stone. I slowly approach the wall and run my gloved hand against the rough surface. "Is there a door here?"_

 _Tentatively, I press my palm against the bricks, and am surprised when it gives under my hand. There's a groaning sound before the wall slides away revealing a room behind._

 _Tim flies inside the space without a second thought, and I'm about to follow when my eyes catch sight of what's in the room, and I freeze on the threshold in spite of myself._

 _The woman in the purple nurse outfit we'd encountered before: Eliade, I think, is kneeling over Cas's lifeless body. She's lying limp against a bookcase on the far wall, there are bruises all over her face and blood trickling down her forehead. Her face is not its usual lingering blush but rather ghostly pale, and she isn't moving at all._

 _My heart drops into my stomach when I see that Eliade's long, clawed hands are plunged deep into Cas's chest.  
The woman cackles gleefully as she flexes her fingers within Cas's chest, causing her body to convulse; she throws her head back and chokes, gasping for breath._

 _"Cas!" My vision goes red, and all thought leaves me as I'm filled with a single, burning desire to get Eliade away from Cas._

 _I make to sprint across the threshold, but my cry has alerted Eliade to my presence. She whirls around, her twisted face curling into a smile before she slams her fist into a button the wall beside the bookcase.  
I don't realize what she's done before it's too late: the door begins to slide back, stopping halfway when it collides with my body.  
A momentary blinding pain crashes against my body as I'm thrown sideways by the weight of the door. I crash against the doorframe, grinding my teeth as the overwhelming pressure of the stone door squeezes against my ribcage.  
I hear something snap as fireworks explode in front of my eyes. I slide to my knees, nearly overwhelmed as the door continues to crush me despite my attempt to struggle against it.  
I can't activate my Weapon; my arms are pinned to my sides._

 _I scream, a mixture of pain and frustration, as Eliade regards me gleefully, laughing at my misery.  
"Don't worry, you'll get your turn, sweetie," she croons, "I just have to finish your friend here; I do hope you'll put up more of a fight than this bitch did."_

 _She turns back to Cas, walking around her prone form as though considering the best means to murder her.  
The panic returns, burning through me like fire in my veins. I can't think; I can barely see; I'm overwhelmed with a frustrating, excruciating desire just to break free, to go to Cas, and rip her away from this monster.  
The helplessness is killing me._

 _I'm an Exorcist, and here I am about to be crushed by a door! I can't even save my own comrade._

 _"Cas! Cas, wake up!" I call desperately, bitter tears pooling in my eyes, "Please, Cas. Cas, come on. Snap out of it!"_

 _To my astonishment, as Eliade leers over her. Cas's eyelids begins to flutter.  
"K-Kid?"_

 _"Oh no you don't!" Eliade cries, her arm shooting out like a cobra as she grabs Cas by the throat and hurls her across the room.  
She hits the wall with a sickening crunch, collapsing to the floor in a shower of plaster._

 _"Cas-Augh!" My yell turns into a scream of pain as the door presses me further against the frame._

 _"I won't let you take Aryster from me," Eliade declares, striding across the room towards Cas's lifeless body. "Those flowers were a warning, but you didn't listen to me. Now, I give you another one," she turns to smile at me over her shoulder._

 _I feel sick; a tear leaks from my eye._

 _"I think I'll chop off this girl's pretty head and mount it on the castle wall as a reminder to all fools who think they can challenge us," Eliade proclaims as she crosses the room and picks up an axe._

 _"No! Don't!" I yell, it's all I can do as I'm slowly flattened._

 _"I will gain honor amongst the ranks for taking this Exorcist's head," Eliade continues as she holds the axe's gleaming blade over Cas's throat, "And what's more the Earl will praise me for it! Aryster and I will be able to live in peace in this Castle forever!"  
The woman's twisted black eyes shine with malice, and she laughs with glee as she raises the axe above her head, ready to strike. _

_"Don't you dare!" I'm screaming now at the top of my voice, my throat burns and my whole body shrieks in pain as the door bears down on me, "Leave her alone! Please, leave her alone. I'm begging you. Do whatever you want to me, just let her go! Please!_

 _Cas…My Cas._

Don't worry Allen, just trust me.

It's alright, Allen; I'm here.

Shit, kid, how can someone as skinny as you eat this much?

You're cute when you blush."

 _I just want to hear her laugh again._

 _I grit my teeth and let out a bloodcurdling scream; a pain suddenly blooms in my eye: my left eye, the one that up until this point was still swollen shut due to the injury I'd suffered the previous night.  
A feeling of heaviness presses against it as well as a burning agony like poison running through my veins. The eye snaps open, but I cannot see anything but black; however, the blackness shifts, moving like smoke to take the shape of an intrinsic letter D: the D develops further, unraveling and reforming into a perfect white skull._

 _'I have returned, Allen; the darkness is back.'_

 _A gasp catches in my throat; that voice, I'd know that voice anywhere._

 _The distinct sound of footsteps echoes behind me. I can feel him beside me; his presence like a distinct aura coming to me from across the dark waters. I want to jump up and whirl around to hug him, but I can't move._

 _I don't feel the pain anymore, but I'm no less trapped._

 _"Mana?" I feel like a child again, like we're once again walking the streets performing circus acts for pocket change. "Do you remember the last time I couldn't see out of my left eye? I swore that even if I lost that ability forever, I'd still grow up strong and join the Black Order as an Exorcist. I'll fight to protect the people I love."_

 _Cas._

 _The darkness shifts, and suddenly, I can feel Mana slipping away.  
"Mana!"_

 _"If you want to save her, Allen; you must go deeper," my father says as his voice starts to fade, "Into the realm of black and white."_

 _As his voice trails off into oblivion, twin tears fall down each of my cheeks. The darkness evaporates around me, and suddenly, I've returned to the nightmare that is my reality.  
Time seems to have stopped: I see Eliade wind up, the axe blade gleaming _

_The pain is back, but this time, it's like fuel rather than fire.  
With a yell, my arm erupts into light as it's transformed. I clamp it against the door in its standard claw form, crushing the stone to dust before lunging forward._

 _CLANG!_

 _Eliade's eyes widen in shock to see that her axe hasn't met its mark. I've moved between her and Cas, my arm stopping the weapon mid swing; the blade quivers in my grasp._

 _With a flick of my wrist, I knock it aside. It hits the floor with a clatter; Eliade reels, still in shock; before she can recover, my arm shoots out with a burst of green Innocence light, plunging my clawed fingers into the side of her chest._

 _Her body shrivels, the skin peeling like wet paper around the wound I'd made: there's no blood, only a gaping black hole. Eliade shrieks, staggering backward, gripping her chest._

 _The darkness fades completely from my left eye and I open it fully; the power pools in the center of my iris as a bizarre whirling sound starts up: a black translucent screen appears over my eye, spinning like a gear: through the device I can now see the truth: see the rotting, stinking corpse of a soul writhing around within Eliade's body._

 _"Eliade, you are an Akuma," I declare, "The one we encountered last night."  
I look down at Cas lying still beside me on the ground. My hand curls into a fist; I turn back to Eliade, my voice trembling with rage.  
"You hurt her, and for that, you're going to pay!"_

 _Eliade raises an eyebrow. "Is that any way to treat a lady?" she quips, "And after you already wounded me; it's definitely going to leave a scar, and my outfit is ripped to shreds."_

 _"I'll do much worse than that after what you did to Cas," I declare, "Now, what are you waiting for, why don't you transform, Akuma? Don't you want to be in your true form?"_

 _Eliade scowls, "As far as I'm concerned, this is my true form, and if it were up to me, I'd look like this forever. My Akuma form is hideous and gross!"_

 _"I agree with you," I reply coldly._

 _Eliade shakes her head, before gesturing to Cas. "She won't last much longer after what I did to her, why don't we call it a truce, so you can spend her last precious minutes with her?"_

 _I look back at Cas, "What did you do to her?" I demand, my voice coming out in a snarl._

 _Eliade shrugs, "Simple, really. I just removed all the moisture lining her lungs; without it, they can't contract, and she'll suffocate."_

 _My eyes widen, horror flooding my system._

 _Eliade cocks her head to the side, thinking, "Although, perhaps it would be a sweeter end for you both…if you died together!"_

 _With that, her porcelain skin shreds away from her form as her true body emerges from within the shell: it's a hulking, twisted shape with a polished white skull head with the signature painted Akuma face crying out from a spot on the forehead. An assortment of pink and purple feathers spring out from all along Eliade's snake-like body as she slithers out of the hollow skin, chuckling as she leers down at me._

 _"You're such a cute little thing, Exorcist; so cute I think I'll eat you!" she lunges forward._

 _I raise my arm to counteract her attack when something flashes in the corner of my vision; Eliade sees it too, and we both turn in time to see a gigantic burst of fire explode through the wall, spraying bricks and plaster everywhere. The serpentine blaze rockets through the room, setting everything in its path ablaze; I feel the heat singe my face as I dive out of the way, Eliade's massive body is lost on the other side of the flames, but I don't care as I hit the ground and dive on top of Cas, shielding her from the fire as it crashes through the opposite wall._

 _The heat dies down, and Eliade is nowhere in sight. I slowly raise my head, shaking dust out of my hair, and I look down at Cas._

 _As I do so, her eye suddenly snap open._

 _"Cas? You alright?"_

 _She gasps, and then keeps gasping. Her whole body seizes up and her fingers go to her chest, clawing desperately as it heaves painfully, choking. Her face goes from white to blue faster than a bruise and she rolls onto her side, flailing as she struggles to breathe._

 _"Cas," I grab her shoulders, trying to steady her, "Cas, please, hang on. Can't you heal this? Why aren't you healing this?"_

 _She just looks at me, unable to speak as bloody tears leak from her eyes._

 _I suddenly find it very hard to breathe as well._

 _"Hey, Allen. There you are."_

 _I hear Lavi race up behind me; now I know where the flame had come from._

 _"Fang boy's down for the count," the young Bookman continues, his voice instantly trailing off when he notices me and Cas. "Oh no."_

 _He drops to his knees beside me as I struggle to try and keep her still._

 _"What's happened to her?" Lavi cries._

 _"Eliade did something to her lungs; she's suffocating." My voice breaks as the words leave my mouth; I suddenly flash back to being a child on the corner of some distant street, grasping Mana's hand as the carriage that would soon claim his life trundles on down the street behind us._

 _I grip Cas's hand all the tighter as her eyes roll back in her head. Her face looks like death, and I want to scream._

 _"Out of my way, Allen."_

 _Lavi knocks me from my reverie, pushing me aside before he begins forcefully slamming his palms into Cas's chest. Her whole body heaves with each thrust._

 _"What are you doing?" I demand of him._

 _"Trying to get her heart going," Lavi replies._

 _"She doesn't have a heartbeat; that won't work!" I cry, my panic leaking clearly through my words._

 _"I know that!" Lavi replies through gritted teeth, "But her heart produces the Blood that heals her; she doesn't have enough of it to heal her lungs, so her body needs a hand. Just trust me on this."_

 _I open my mouth to respond, but instantly snap it shut. I sit back on my heels, watching as Cas's body grows stiller and stiller._

 _I watch as my new left eye spins its gears around my face. Mana, I thought you gave me this new eye so that I could save her._

 _I grasp her hand again, feeling her cold skin through hers and mine worn gloves.  
Please. Oh God, please._

 _Suddenly, after what feels like an eternity, Cas's body suddenly heaves, and she sits bolt upright, choking and retching viciously as fresh crimson Blood dribbles down her chin._

 _"Cas!" I exclaim, my heart nearly bursting with relief as she turns to look at me, her expression dazed and confused._

 _Tentatively, she reaches out towards me with her free hand. "Kid…you need…something…" she struggles to get the words out, but doesn't complete her thought as her head suddenly slumps, and she collapses against my shoulder._

 _"Loss of oxygen to the brain," Lavi explains when I probably look understandably panicked. "She'll perk back up again in a minute."_

 _"A minute's what we don't have," I declare gravely, "Eliade might still be out there, and she's a Level II Akuma."_

 _Lavi's eyes widen, "What? That beautiful woman's an Akuma?"_

 _"Yeah," I reply grimly, "You sure know how to pick 'em."_

 _"Cas thought she was hot too!"_

 _"Forget it," I snap, "Let's take the fight to them, shall we? I have more than a bone to pick with that woman after what she did to Cas."_

 _Lavi raises an eyebrow but says nothing more as he gathers up Cas in his arms and slowly gets to his feet._

 _I move to help, but at that moment, the floor caves in._

 _Or rather the ceiling of the room below us._

 _The air is sucked from my lungs as the floor sporadically gives way._

 _I let out the ghost of a scream as I'm catapulted into free fall, but not before a hand manages to grasp firmly around my hood, stopping me mid-fall and leaving me hanging precariously._

 _I glance to see Lavi has flipped Cas over his shoulder and is now supporting all three of us by jamming the hilt of his Hammer into the wall with one hand and catching me with the other._

 _"I got you," he calls to me._

 _"Thanks, Lavi," I call back, "I think you might have just saved my life. How's Cas?"_

 _"Still unconscious," Lavi replies before gently lowering me to the floor. He then drops down beside me, retracting his Hammer and laying Cas out on the ground in front of him._

 _I look around the room to see that we have landed in the main hall; chunks of marble and plaster are scattered everywhere as well as some lingering puddles of fire._

 _Amongst the rubble, I spy a body lying on its side in the center of the cracked tiled floor. It doesn't take me long to recognize its Krory._

 _"You really did a number on him," I remark to Lavi._

 _"Aryster!" a shrill shriek is heard from above us before he can respond._

 _I glance up in time to see Eliade swoop down from the rafters and land beside the form of the fallen vampire, converting back into her human form as she does so.  
"Aryster! Aryster, wake up," she cries, lifting him up in her arms._

 _Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cas stirring from her position lying prone beside Lavi._

 _"Cas!" I spin around and rush over, kneeling beside her as she gingerly opens her eyes; they're glassy and confused with not a spark of Cas's usual fire in them, but her eyes widen in recognition when she looks at me._

 _"A-Allen, you're e-eye," she starts, but it ends in a choke._

 _"It's alright," I assure her, tenderly brushing the side of her face._

 _"You gave us quite a scare," Lavi remarks, "Are you alright?"_

 _"Uh huh." Cas closes her eyes, shaking her head as though trying to clear some kind of fog. They suddenly snap open and she sits up perhaps a little too quickly, "Allen! Lavi! Eliade, she's…" Her words are cut short as she suddenly pitches forward, coughing bitterly as more Blood pours from between her lips._

 _"It's okay, I won't let her hurt you," I assure her, placing a hand on her shoulder, soothing her until the coughing stops._

 _Cas looks at me; her lips part slightly, "She's an…"_

 _"Akuma," Lavi finishes._

 _We both look to him, eyes wide in surprise to find the young Bookman standing rooted to the spot, his gaze transfixed on Eliade cradling Krory in her arms, oblivious to us, a short distance away._

 _"Lavi…" I cautiously ask._

 _He doesn't look at me, his eyes remain transfixed on Eliade, but not for the initial reason: he looks confused, and maybe even scared._

 _"Am I…? Am I seeing things?"_

 _"Lavi, what are you seeing?"_

 _He swallows, "A soul…I can see a human soul coming out of her body."_

 _Beside me, Cas gasps, clapping a hand over her mouth._

 _I look at her, "Can you see it too?"_

 _She nods, slowly lowering her hand; her face still looks pale. "Yeah, it's disgusting."_

 _I return my gaze to the Akuma before us, examining the twisted, haunted soul chained and slowly rotting within the depths of that hellish machine. It is an image that I'd become so used to, the screams had dimmed in my ears from hearing them constantly._

 _But it is._

 _It is disgusting._

 _I stand, looking at the soul that powers Eliade, as I looked, the decrepit and rotting creature turns its hollow, pitiful eyes towards mine. My whole body seems to freeze, and it's as though I'm being swallowed by those gaping, empty sockets._

 _A creature of blood and murder, desired by human men only for them to fall to her deadly touch.  
An Akuma desiring to be human. I see all of this, and the burning hatred I feel towards Eliade for what she did to Cas momentarily wavers._

 _I remember her words to me upstairs: As far as I'm concerned, this is my true form._

 _She wants to be human; she wants to be loved._

 _Was that what Krory was for? Was that the reason she bound herself to him without killing him?_

 _Before I can ponder these questions further, Krory suddenly opens his eyes._

 _"E-Eliade?" he whispers weakly._

 _The Akuma woman sighs with relief, "How are you feeling, my darling?"_

 _Krory's look of momentary contentment at the sight of his supposed lover suddenly vanishes; his dark eyes flood with fear, but it's not Eliade he's looking at, rather his eyes are fixed on something directly behind her._

 _"Eliade, behind you! What is that? Do you see that thing?" he cries, "It looks like it's coming out of your body! What is it?"_

 _Eliade stares at him, shocked, before slowly turning her head to gaze up at the blackened shape of the human soul that is her power source._

 _Lavi is still looking at it as well; I've never seen him this quiet.  
"This is nuts," he whispers, "I can see it with my own eyes."_

 _"So can I," Cas adds. She turns to me, brushing more Blood from her mouth, "Do you suppose it's because of yours?"_

 _I absentmindedly reach up to touch it, my fingers brushing the darkened screen and twisting gears.  
My left eye has increased in power. Could Mana's curse have strengthened it this much to allow others to see it too?_

 _I know what I have to do._

 _"Krory!" I call to the faux-vampire, still spellbound by Eliade's human soul, "Do you see the apparition that's coming out of her body? That is an Akuma. Eliade is an Akuma! She's an enemy of both you and us."_

 _Krory's eyes fill with terror as he drinks in my words; he tears his gaze away from the ugly creature powering Eliade and redirects his gaze to the familiar, warm brown eyes he'd come to know so well._

 _"Is that true, Eliade?" he whispers, "Have you been deceiving me? Are you really an Akuma?"_

 _Next to me, Cas coughs loudly, more Blood pouring from her mouth._

 _"You okay?" I ask._

 _She doesn't answer._

 _"Answer me, Eliade!" Krory cries, his voice breaking slightly._

 _The she-Akuma lowers her gaze. "I…I don't know what to say."_

 _The answer is clear in her words, and Krory knows it. He looks down at his pale white glove where a drop of Eliade's blood has landed. "This blood…is it not human blood?" His whole body trembles, his eyes torn as he beholds the sight of both the beautiful and the ugly and how they have come together to create the abomination he has come to care for.  
A stronger man than Krory might have been torn apart._

 _Eliade closes her eyes, sighing as she slowly gets to her feet, leaving Krory stricken on the ground.  
"I really wish it didn't have to come to this."_

 _Her shadow constricts as her skin is torn away and her tree form slithers into view.  
Krory looks up and sees the truth, and in that moment of pure terror as he beholds his lover's true form, she lashes out, striking him with her long, serpentine tail, sending him careening into a pillar._

 _He gasps as he strikes it with a sickening crunch, falling to the ground amidst shattering rubble._

 _"Oh no," I whisper._

 _Krory struggles, dizzy with pain, as Eliade looms over him.  
"I was going to keep you alive and use you, but there's no point to that now," she hisses, "I will never allow you to become an Exorcist. That's why I have to kill you."_

 _Krory's milky eyes flood with tears as he takes in Eliade's words._

 _"Not good!" Lavi cries, "Fang-boy already used up all his energy fighting me; he won't be able to defend himself."_

 _"Fang-boy?" Cas questions just as the ground breaks apart behind us._

 _We all whirl around in time to see familiar pink petals and snaggle-toothed mouths coil up from the shadows._

 _"Gah!" We all bolt for the sidelines, ducking behind pillars to dodge the man-eating flowers._

 _"I thought we got rid of all these!" I cry._

 _Behind me, Lavi cries out as a snapping tendril coils around his ankle, yanking him into the air and into a mess of veins._

 _"Lavi!" I cry as the young Bookman flails._

 _"I don't care how pretty you are or how good you smell, I know officially hate flowers!" he cries as he dangles absurdly._

 _"Hold on!" I try to go to him, but more flowers erupt from the ground, snarling and snapping their teeth and veins at me and Cas._

 _She pulls me back, gripping my arm tightly._

 _I scan the ground desperately, Krory and Eliade vanishing from my mind as I'm occupied with the immediate._

 _The flowers press in around us._

 _"There's too many of them," I cry as Lavi shrieks, kicking desperately as he tries to break free._

 _Beside me, Cas's grip on my arm suddenly tightens._

 _"Kid…I can't breathe."_

 _I look over to her to see a torrent of Blood spilling from her mouth before she collapses to the floor._

 _"Cas!"_


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: I will start responding directly to reviews from previous chapters at the beginning of each new chapter in case other viewers have similar thoughts/questions they'd like my opinion on.

* * *

From: Ella Unlimited  
Q: Wow.  
First off, I really enjoy this story– Cas is so unique and well-rounded, it's not difficult to see the sheer amount of time and effort you have put into this character to create someone who has depth and personality. She blends seamlessly into the story, and your own writing talent makes this story easily one of my favorites that I've read in a long time.  
Now, I'm as guilty as anyone for not reviewing when an author truly deserves it— but this chapter was simply too good to NOT review.  
I loved the different perspective, and it only makes Allen and Cas' relationship more developed; to see not only how Cas is beginning to care for him, but how affectionate he is of her is so moving. (I'm my sure if this is the right word, but hopefully you understand what I'm get at!)  
This was a phenomenal chapter, your story is going in a fantastic direction, and I can't wait to see where else you take us!  
-Ella

A: OMG! This review made my day; I literally had a complete and utter freak out in the middle of my forensics class when I saw this. I'm so grateful that you appreciate my writing and this chapter, and it'll be a pleasure to keep writing for you:)

From: Astera Anthem  
Q: so does Cas have 100% synchronization with her innocence?  
A: Not quite. At this point in the story, Cas is around where Allen is synchronized with his own Innocence. Cas's eventual full capacity is way beyond her current abilities and will be shown at a later date. Stay tuned.

From: MCRDanime  
Q: Update please!  
A: Will do:)

From: Cupcake  
Q: I still love this story, awesome chapter and I can't wait to read more  
A: Thanks a million, and I can't wait to write more!

From: Muddled Ink  
Q: I absolutely love how you're writing this story. It's so interesting and Cas is an awesome character. The relationship you've created between Cas and Allen seems so perfect and my heart loves every interaction between them. I can't wait for the next update!  
A: Thanks a bunch! That means a lot considering the headache this story's been giving me lately, and yes, I adore Allen and Cas's relationship too especially because they're so different and yet sync so well

From: pink9571  
Q: Love it! Can't wait for more!  
A: Gracias:)

* * *

Chapter 19: The Vampire I Loved

* * *

 _The flowers roar, swarming around us like a pack of hungry sharks; they entangle us in their vines until I can't even move a finger._

 _Lavi screams in a mixture of frustration and fear as he struggles against the carnivorous blooms.  
"Damn it! How are we supposed to get rid of these flowers?"_

 _"_ _I don't know," I call back, "We have to think of something."_

 _Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cas dangling helplessly amidst the tangle of vines and sharp teeth. Her body is still, aside from her chest convulsing heavily as Blood continues to spill from her mouth._

 _She's suffocating. I have to get her away from the flowers._

 _"_ _Cas!" I yell, straining again, but I can't get my arms free._

 _Lavi attempts to extend his Hammer, but it's snatched from him before he can do so.  
"No!" he reaches out desperately but one of the flowers holding him suddenly rears up and closes its jaws around Lavi's body, trapping the young Bookman inside its mouth._

 _"_ _Gah!" I can hear Lavi scream from between the petals, thrashing and kicking around desperately._

 _The scene looks almost familiar, and I'm suddenly overwhelmed with an alarming sense of déjà vu. Pink petals with purple spots like a leopard, sharp teeth, a carnivorous appetite._

 _My eyes widen as I suddenly remember.  
"Lavi!" I call to my flailing companion, "Calm down and just do exactly as I tell you, alright?_

 _"_ _Calm down?" Lavi shrieks from inside the flower, "If I calm down, I'll get eaten!" He strains as the teeth attempt to close in around him._

 _"_ _Just listen to me," I insist, "I've dealt with these things before; I know how to defeat these flowers. I saw Cross do it once."_

 _"_ _Great!" Lavi shouts sarcastically, "Then why don't you tell me how to do that?"_

 _"_ _This breed of flower doesn't bite humans who show them affection," I quickly explain, "So start treating it like it's a little puppy, make it think you really love and care for it."_

 _"_ _What? Are you serious?"_

 _I grit my teeth at Lavi's reservations, desperate as I glance over to see another flower slowly lowering Cas's lifeless form into its mouth.  
"Just do it you eye-patched coward!" I scream._

 _"_ _Alright: I love you!"_

 _"_ _I love you!" I add._

 _"_ _I love you! I love you! I love you!" Lavi continues to scream._

 _After a few heart-pounding seconds; the flowers suddenly unfurl their vines and deposit us on the ground._

 _I land hard on my back while Lavi is dropped on his face. He groans, sitting up and rubbing a thick mucus covering his whole body from his face just as his hammer is dropped down beside him._

 _I sit up, "Cas!" I jump my feet and rush over to where the flowers have her._

 _I'm not sure what to do; Cas is incapable of speech, so she can't assert the declaration that had freed Lavi and me. Desperate, I grab hold of one of the vines binding her, tugging on it desperately._

 _"_ _She loves you!" I scream, "She loves you! She loves you! She loves you!"_

 _I'm not sure if the flowers can make the distinction, but after a few desperate seconds, the flower finally release her: dropping her not too gracefully on the ground._

 _"_ _Cas," I rush over to her, kneeling down and propping her up against me. The action causes another torrent of thick, crimson fluid to spill from her mouth. She retches, gasping as her skin goes from ashen to its typical blush pink and then continues until its bright red._

 _"_ _What's wrong with her?" Lavi asks as he comes up behind me._

 _"_ _I'm not sure," I reply as Cas starts coughing violently, each assault against her lungs causing more blood to bubble up in her throat. Her eyes suddenly snap open; they're wide and ride and she looks at me wildly. Her body flailing as her chest heaves, her coughs get rawer and rawer as she struggles to breathe._

 _"_ _Cas," I try to grab her, but he flailing makes it difficult. She smacks my arm repeatedly, writhing and convulsing beneath me as I try to steady her, each movement becoming more desperate._

 _I can see my panic reflected in Cas's eyes, and it burns inside me like fire, the desperation is nearly suffocating._

 _"_ _What are we going to do?" Lavi replies, but I barely hear him._

 _A loud crashes sounds from behind us as Krory is knocked back by Eliade's gigantic Akuma form. It momentarily redirects Lavi's attention, but I remain focused on Cas._

 _Her eyes started to roll back in her head, and her movements became less frantic and more slurred as consciousness began to leave her once more. A new flame of panic exploded in my stomach.  
"No, Cas!" the words ripped through me as I cupped her face in my shaking hands, my voice trembling as tears began to spill. I shook her desperately, trying to keep her conscious. "Cas, please," I choke, my voice slightly hoarse, "I don't know what to do, tell me what to do."_

 _She looks at me, her eyes glassy. Her body then convulses as she shifts upward bringing up more blood and coughing, as well as a single word._

 _"_ _Drown."_

 _I hear it clear as day, and my eyes grow wide._

 _Drown…I'm drowning._

 _The memory of a conversation suddenly returns to the forefront of my mind, back when Cas and I had first met:_

 _"_ _If my body produces too much Blood, my lungs will fill up, and I'll drown in my own fluids."_

 _That's what was happening now. I realize, Cas's body was attempting to heal her punctured lungs, and as a result, had flooded them with liquid. Eliade had used Cas's own strengths against her._

 _"_ _Allen, look out!" Lavi's warning shatters my haze just as a barrage of strange purple, bubble-like projectiles are fired in our direction._

 _I quickly snatch up Cas and dive out of the way, Lavi close behind me. Krory barely manages to dodge them as well, nearly losing his footing as he slides to a halt amidst the rubble and sluggish flowers. He leers up at Eliade, who cackles loudly as the strange orbs bob around her._

 _"_ _You were wise to get out of the way," she sneers, "I draw my power from these orbs." As she speaks, Eliade unhinges her skeletal jaw to allow another round of the violet bubbles to break free of her lips._

 _"_ _Your power?" Krory inquires._

 _His only response is given by the Akuma rearing up and assaulting him with a barrage of the orbs.  
"Can you dodge them all at once?"_

 _Lavi and I watch, open mouthed, as Krory leaps into the air just as a dozen of the bubbles collide with the ground he was just standing on._

 _He weaves his way through the assault with a speed and agility all too familiar to us at this point after the long night with many encounters with the vampire._

 _Or was he a vampire?_

 _Lavi and I had both had the suspicion for a while that Krory's powers might actually be linked to something other than black magic, more specifically Innocence. After all, he only seemed to desire the blood of Akuma as evidenced by his lust for Eliade and the Akuma buried in the courtyard while finding Cas's Blood disgusting when he tasted it._

 _It seemed pretty obvious at this point that Krory was an Accommodator and a potential ally.  
If he survives that is._

 _Krory continues to dodge the bubbles as they rain down around him: striking the ground, colliding with the stone, and even a few ensnaring the flowers. Upon contact, Lavi and I were alarmed to see the vicious flora instantly wither and die upon contact._

 _Krory noticed too; his eyes widen in surprise, but the distraction is unwelcome as one of the stray orbs finally hits its mark.  
Krory cries out in barely suppressed pain as his arm goes limp and he's forced to retreat back a few yard, alighting on top of the balcony railing._

 _He grips his injured limb, now looking as though it belonged to a rag doll as he surveys his once lover Eliade slithering about below him.  
"These orbs," he calls out to her, "They absorb the moisture in any living thing they come into contact with, is that correct?"_

 _"_ _That's right," Eliade sneers, "That is the power that makes me invincible to even the strongest of beings, like the young Exorcist girl who dared challenge me in the tower; I used these orbs to strip the moisture from her lungs and tear them open! Causing her precious Blood to flood her insides."_

 _It's obvious she's referring to Cas, and as she lies dying in my arms while I can do nothing, I feel a violent fury rise up inside me with an intensity I didn't think I possessed._

 _I'm launching myself forward before I even realize it, blinded by this rage as I'm seconds away from activating my Innocence._

 _"_ _Whoa! Hold on, Short Stack," Lavi grips my arm, pulling me back._

 _"_ _My name's Allen," I snarl, straining against him, "Let go of me!"_

 _"_ _This isn't your fight," Lavi insisted, "Krory has to face up to his past and make a decision on his own."_

 _"_ _She hurt Cas!" I scream, "I can't let her get away with that."_

 _"_ _Allen, get a grip," Lavi snaps, shaking me roughly, "She needs you right now; you have to stay by Cas's side, and Krory needs to fight on his own."_

 _Before I have time to respond, Eliade laughs again._

 _"_ _If an Exorcist as powerful as her was unable to defeat me, what hope do you have?" she mockingly inquires of Krory._

 _"_ _Perhaps none at all," Krory replies simply, "But your arrogance and disregard for grandfather's favorite flowers enrages me. I may have loved you once, but I'll never forgive you for that."_

 _"_ _Bah!" Eliade balked, "Such talk. You never loved those flowers, or anything else in this wretched castle. You always just sat there, blaming your grandfather for your miserable life instead of finding the courage to do something about it. Dying inside this castle is the perfect fate for a coward like you!"_

 _Krory remains stone-faced despite the verbal assault; he regards his former lover coldly.  
"Well, while we were together, I was content with that thought."_

 _The Akuma appears startled._

 _"_ _Eliade," Krory's voice contains an apparent warning, "I no longer want to see you in that disgusting form, so I'll gladly rip you limb from limb!"_

 _With that, he lunges forward, preparing to attack Eliade head on. As he soars over our heads, streaking straight towards her with fangs and claws poised at the ready, Eliade unleashes another round of her moisture-sucking bubbles._

 _Krory falters slightly as one strikes him in the other arm, instantly dissolving to the consistency of wet paper. He sweeps through the air, dodging bubble after bubble, but there are too many of them for him to escape, and he's hit again in the leg, and then the other leg._

 _Lavi and I watch in horror as Krory is struck by the orbs one after another, the vital fluids of his body being ripped from him with each blast until his body shrivels up entirely. Krory goes still in midair and his ravaged form drops to the ground, alighting amidst the debris like a black paper kite. The only sign that the pile of shriveled limbs might have once been a person is the grey face of the faux-vampire sticking out of the top; fangs still barred and yellow eyes staring emptily._

 _"_ _Goodbye, Aryster," the words leave Eliade's lips as she shifts back to her human form. She walks up to the tattered remains of her former lover, her golden hair falling loose from its pigtails and her outfit in almost as many shreds. She looks solemnly down at what's left of Krory, her eyes glassy. "My darling, there was something…something I wanted to do with you for the longest time, but it's impossible now."_

 _As she speaks, a draft disturbs the lingering fanged roses causing their petals to break free of the blooms and cascade across Krory's ravaged form._

 _Lavi and I watch the display, speechless. Krory had fallen at the hands of someone he loved; I couldn't imagine a crueler fate._

 _However, I am instantly jerked from my thoughts when Cas suddenly goes limp in my arms. My heart drops into my stomach as I look down to see Cas lying completely still, her face ashen as the last remaining drop of blood trickles down from the edge of her mouth._

 _"_ _Cas…?" My voice is barely a whisper, "Cas, come on." I try again, a little louder, some small part of me believing there might be a response against the odds. "Cas, please. Cas!" I'm shaking her now, my voice rising with each passing second that she doesn't respond to me. I grab her shoulders and jostle her roughly but her head simply falls back, her eyes don't open._

 _"_ _CAS!" I scream so loud it hurts as the hot tears spill from my eyes. I squeeze them shut, trying to block out the horrible black reality crashing in around me._

 _Oh God…Oh God…Oh God…It's like Mana all over again._

 _Why am I so helpless…?_

 _CRUNCH!_

 _My eyes snap open at the sound of flesh being ripped open just in time to see the limp remains of Krory sink its teeth into Eliade's neck. The She-Akuma gasps in shock as his fangs dig into her nape, but she doesn't move or try to pull him off despite his weaker form. His spell is already upon her, and she can do nothing._

 _It is agonizingly silent as Krory drinks; the moment seems to be suspended in time like they're the only two people left in existence._

 _I close my eyes, the pain is raw inside me, and it hurts too much to even breath. I drop my head down against Cas's perpetually silent chest._

 _For a moment, I want to die._

 _All I can think of is golden eyes, red hair, her laugh, all of it falling through my fingers._

 _I never even got to say goodbye._

 _I barely feel Lavi place a hand on my shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Allen."_

 _I don't respond, I can't. It's like there's a crack in my chest, and if I move even a single muscle I'll shatter into a million pieces._

 _The second stretch on into eternity as Cas slips further and further from me; moments pass through my mind liking I'm flipping thorugh the pages of a picture book. Every memory flitting in refelection of how brief it had all been, and yet as I recall that first moment I saw her looking down at me with that worried look that makes her amber eyes shine that I felt like she had always been a part of me and always would be present in my life._

 _How could it have gone so wrong?_

 _"_ _Allen." Lavi's voice breaks the spell._

 _I don't want to move but know that I have no choice. I slowly raise my eyes, and see that Eliade is silently standing with Krory pinned to her throat awaiting the quiet embrace of death._

 _Her expression is serene while her soul cries out in a silent pain that reflects my own._

 _An Akuma that had wanted to be loved by a man, and yet none could go near her for fear of being destroyed. In the end, when she found the one man she couldn't break, he ended up being her undoing._

 _"_ _I had always had a feeling these fangs would be the last thing I felt."_

 _A single tear drops from Eliade's eye just as Krory yanks away, his guant face full of bitter horror upon realizing what he's done._

 _More tears, deeper tears fall from his yellow eyes as he stares down at the being he'd loved and now destroyed._

 _"_ _Aryster," Eliade smiles weakly, "You know…that I always wanted to love you." Her hand trembles as she reaches up to touch her face, but falters as all strength leaves her, "Please know…I tried my best."  
With that, she breathes her last and her form crumples to ash, dissolving around Krory, who gasps in terror and agony as his beloved disappears forever._

 _He drops to his knees, gripping the tattered remains of Eliade's clothing as the pearly orb of the Akuma's soul silently drifts toward the ceiling, vanishing into the heavens in a shower of light._

 _Krory follows it with a pained smile, "Goodbye, my love."_

 _Around us, the purple bubbles burst, and water pours down around us like rain._

 _The droplets land on my face and hair; they sting._

 _Silently, Lavi gets to his feet and goes over to Krory, who's huddled in a heap amidst the destroyed flowers._

 _"_ _Hey, Fang-boy, you alright?"_

 _Krory's long hands curl into fists, "I want to die."_

 _His words mirror my thoughts, and they startle me for a moment._

 _"_ _I killed the woman I loved," the faux-vampire continues, "With my own hands; I became the very monster I'd always feared." He throws Eliade's tattered attire to the ground as though they might explode and stares in horror down at his filthy gloves, "Healing my own body by sucking the blood from the veins of the one person who'd ever cared for me, even if I knew it was going to destroy her, I kept going." Krory's voice breaks as he sobs harder, gripping his head and collapsing on all fours, "A monster like me doesn't deserve to take another breath."_

 _I sit on the floor and watch Krory from my spot beside Cas's body. In that moment, it's like Krory and I are connected. I can see what he sees and feel what he feels. Like our souls are one. Like Cas._

 _In that moment, I see the future and the past at the same time. The path that is laid out before us. Mana's words: keep walking._

 _Blood of Blood, Drinker of Life, take back what was stolen from Me by the Night._

 _I know what to do and the realization comes to me with such intensity that I'm on my feet and across the room in a second.  
"If you're in so much pain, then why don't you become an Exorcist?" I exclaim, grabbing Krory by the collar and pulling his tear-stained face closer to mind, "It's the duty of all Exorcists to destroy Akuma and save people from their evil; whether you like it or not, you just destroyed an Akuma named Eliade today. You did that because that is what you are meant to do," I pause to draw breath, "Now you have two choices: you can wallow here in self-pity or you can let Eliade's death mean something. SHE'S NOT COMING BACK SO DO THE RIGHT THING AND MAKE HER DEATH WORTH IT!" _

_Lavi's expression of shock mirrors Krory's as he drops his eyes, his tears falling to the ground, mixing with the blood and rain._

 _Perhaps my words are spoken as much to myself as to Krory, but I can't stamp out that one lingering spark in the flame of hope that something might change._

 _"_ _Krory, listen to me," My words are softer now, "Exorcists aren't just destroyers, they are also saviors." With more strength then I thought I had, I manage to pull Krory's much bigger body to his feet before gesturing over to Cas lying motionless on the ground, "If you want proof than you can be something more than just a destroyer, that you can save lives as well as take them, then help me save hers."_

 _Krory looks from me to Cas, his pale face wrought with confusion.  
"What can I do for her?"_

 _"_ _She's dying, Krory," I explain, "And she's dying because there is too much blood in her body; it's filling her lungs and making it impossible for her to breath. She's drowning on dry land. But you can change that: you drink blood, so drink hers and bring her back to life. Let me prove to you that you can be more than just a killer."_

 _Krory hesitates. The flame inside me withers slightly, and I have to resist the urge to grab his shoulders and shake him until he complies.  
"Please, Krory," I feel tears sting at my eyes once more as I look up at him, "She means the world to me. I can't lose her, please bring her back and prove to yourself that you're not just a killer! Please!"_

 _My words touch something in Krroy; he looks at me in wide-eyed astonishment. His eyes searching as though trying to find something particular in my words._

 _His expression changes, seemingly finding what he's looking for. He then turns back to Cas, his resolve somehow returned.  
"Alright. I'll try."_

 _I nod. "Don't try. Do."_

 _Krory nodes before striding over to Cas and kneeling down beside her. Her long red hair cascades between his fingers as he cups her head in his palm and tilts it back to expose her neck._

 _I watch with bated breath as Lavi walks up beside me.  
"Do you honestly think this will work?"_

 _"_ _We have to try."_

 _There's that same shattering 'crunch' of Krroy's teeth connecting with flesh, tearing into it and digging down to the core. A torrent of blood spills out between the crack. Krory gives a muffled cry of surprise as the bitter fluid floods his mouth, but he doesn't waver, doesn't stop for an instant._

 _I watch him, so anxious that I want to scream and yell and thow things, but I know it will do no good._

 _Cas's life is in Krory's hands now._

 _Lavi and I wait, spellbound as the faux-vampire begins to drink and drink and drink and drink._

 _Blood puddles around the two bodies of Cas and Krory, tangled together in a rose-colored embodiment of death held on only by the thread of a possibility._

 _Krory chokes, his skin ashen, but he doesn't stop.  
His cheeks bulge with fluid as a crimson river of excess coats Cas's clothes. He drinks and drinks and drinks._

 _For a tender moment, I feel as though a lifetime has passed and perhaps that ember of hope truly had been swallowed in the grey ash of reality.  
I reach up to touch my eyes and find I'm crying again._

 _But suddenly, in a blinding moment of clarity, Cas's body convulses once. Krory instantly retracts his teeth from her throat as Cas falls into his lap._

 _Then she starts coughing._

 _An eruption of emotion so warm its burning explodes in my chest, and I yell inaudibly, unable to contain myself as I sprint over to them and pull Cas away from Krory, who's staring down at her in utter shock._

 _Cas's cheeks are rosy again, and, as I take her from Krory, her eyes snap open. Their gold and shining and full of life, and I laugh and cry at the same time as I look down at them.  
I'm so happy I want to scream, but I sob instead, burying my face in Cas's hair as my milky tears soak her scarlet tresses. She smells like blood, lemon, and cigarettes. I want to stay like that forever, gripping her like I never want to let go again._

 _Cas…My Cas._

 _Returned to me from the brink of death, a miracle I'd always wanted._

 _The violent agony had given way to a soaring joy._

 _A world of black and white._

 _I raise my eyes back up to meet Cas's. She looks groggy, but content. She smiles slightly._

 _"_ _Hey, kid."_

 _Her eyes flutter shut almost immediately afterwards, but her breathing remains steady so I know there's nothing to fear._

 _Lavi comes over at that point, and puts his hand on my shoulder again, but this time in a shared relief rather than pained comfort._

 _"_ _That Cassandra's one tough bird, ain't she?" he says with a smile._

 _I notice that it seems to be the first time since I'd met Lavi that such a smile had been on his face.  
While before he'd bore sly smirks or joking grin, never had there been a genuine smile on his face._

 _It suits him._

 _I return said gesture before turning back to Krory, who was once again staring down at his hands; his already filthy white gloves now coated in Blood._

 _"_ _Thank you, Krory," I say to him. His head snaps up to meet me._

 _There are tears in his eyes once again, but they're not as violent as before._

 _He gives me a half smile, like a pale crescent moon.  
"No, thank you."_

 _At that moment, Bookman arrives._

* * *

 _After some chastising, inquiring, and name-calling (mostly from Lavi), the elderly scribe declared he would be taking Cas back to the inn in the village so that she could recover fully in comfort._

 _Upon resigning that this was the best plan, Lavi and I introduced the former's master to Krory, citing him as our newest ally in arms against the Earl and Akuma._

 _Krory had smiled shyly in response before abruptly getting to his feet and requesting Lavi and I go with him as there was something he wanted to discuss with us._

 _As much as I wanted to see to Cas, I trusted her with Bookman and begrudgingly handed her still unconscious form over to him, silently wondering how such a little and frail old man was supposed to carry Cas's rather large form down the cliff side, but Lavi told me not to dwell on it._

 _With that, Lavi and I followed Krory into the bowels of his castle, past the parts that now lay in ruin in the aftermath of the battle, down long winding corridors and through a number of doors all different shapes and sizes._

 _First a wooden door, then a carved silver door, then an iron door, then an ornate golden door, then a door of bars, then a purple and black door. Beyond all these doors there was a room full of even more flowers._

 _Lavi and I instantly recoil at the sight of them, but Krory tells us that these florae are more docile then the ones used to guard the castle. The potted plants littering the room are some of the strangest I'd seen, even more bizarre then the fanged roses downstairs. There are yellow Venus flytraps, blue blossoms that resembled crystal balls, and gigantic cactuses covered in huge purple warts._

 _However, amidst the flowers, was probably the strangest item in the room: hanging on the back wall was a gigantic gold-framed portrait that filled almost the entire space. It depicted a man, his gaunt face lined with age. He looked very similar to Krory: sporting the similar black clothing and the same pale skin, grey eyes, pointed ears, and black hair with a single white streak draped across his forehead (although he had a moustache to match)._

 _Krory noticed Lavi and I admiring it. "Aryster Krory I, my grandfather, was an odd fellow" he explained, "He made this castle his home and filled it with items he'd collected over the years through his many travels. He had a taste for the rarities in life: treasuring more than anything else his ancient breeds of plants. The surrounding soil must be quite rich for the flowers to grow so much; their bigger than any flora I've seen, at night they utter strange sounds, but most bizarre is their taste for attacking the guests that visit the castle. It was because of this that rumors about us being vampires began to spread before we knew it to be true. I remember my grandfather saying to me: 'Young Aryster, your destiny has been chosen for you; in this castle, you will remain for the remainder of your lifetime. It is up to you to attend to our beautiful flower garden. This endeavor will bring you happiness, my grandson'. When Grandfather passed away, I was left to my solitude, with only his collection of treasures as company; the villagers had labeled me a vampire, assuring my status as an outsider, and although I had the curiosity, I never found a way to leave the castle nor did I have the courage to attempt it. I spent my time seeing to the bizarre flowers, making sure they stayed healthy, but one day, I came to a realization: that I was no different from the collection, so much so that I began to see myself as a part of it. I thought: 'Everything here belongs to Grandfather; I have nothing to my name besides the clothes on my back. There is not a person in this world that can accept me for who I am because I am nothing; there is not a soul that could love me when I do not even love myself. But Eliade…she was different: she accepted me without question and treated me with respect, and in return I loved her…with all my heart."_

 _Krory fell silent, and it was a while before any other words passed between the three of us. Lavi and I were utterly transfixed by her words. I may not be an empath like Cas, but I somehow still felt his pain even if it isn't my own._

 _After a moment, I step forward and place a hand on Krory's arm. "Well, now you can be something."_

 _Krory looks at me and nods in agreement. "This way," he then adds, turning to a door leading off the chamber of flowers. He pushes it open and it creaks with age revealing nothing but a dark abyss beyond._

 _Pausing, Krory lights a candle and then steps into the room, illuminating it to reveal it was full with clutter of all kinds: crates and crates of ancient junk and forgotten treasures all showered with cobwebs and dust._

 _"_ _Eliade told me that you Exorcists came to this village in search of someone," Krory continues as he leads Lavi and me through the piles of artifacts._

 _"_ _Uh, yes, General Cross," I reply, fumbling through my pockets until I produce the copy of the photo I'd been given._

 _"_ _I know of him," Krory asserts before I can show it to him, which surprises me._

 _"_ _You did?"_

 _"_ _Yes, he and Grandfather were friends, and he came to the village when he learned of his death. He returned something to me that had been in his care."_

 _"_ _What did he return?" Lavi asks._

 _"_ _Here." Krory pauses before a shelf and pulls out a large vase covered in blue, green, and yellow shapes._

 _As soon as I see, recognition flares in my mind, and I jump back as though I'd been shocked. "Ah! That's crazy; that pot belonged to Roseanne."_

 _Krory arches an eyebrow. "So, you're familiar with this?"_

 _I gulp, "Unfortunately yes."_

 _"_ _What was planted in the pot when he brought it?" Lavi inquires._

 _"_ _The bulb of a carnivorous flower," Krory replies._

 _"_ _I knew it," I grumble bitterly, instantly flashing back to my earlier years with Master Cross, when I'd been young and stupid. I remember Master giving the planet to me, proclaiming that if anything bad were to happen to 'Roseanne', I'd receive a punishment a hundred times worse.  
Such a feat as tending to the flower would not have been so bad if it wasn't for Roseanne's habit of chewing on my head._

 _I stare glumly at the pot as I recall that purple-spotted terror._

 _Lavi eyes me curiously before turning back to Krory, "So, Cross only came here to return the planet, that's it?"_

 _"_ _Yes, but there was something awfully strange about that flower," Krory replied, "Out of nowhere it bit me on my hand, which caused quite a bit of pain, before it abruptly withered away. The pain was so intense; I fell to the floor; I couldn't breathe; I thought I'd been poisoned. However, instead, all of my teeth abruptly feel out; well, the normal, human-looking ones I used to have that is, and they were replaced by these sharp fangs I have now." Krory pauses, his expression thoughtful, "Now that I think about it, that was probably the Innocence you mentioned that made my teeth grow back so quickly."_

 _"_ _That definitely sounds like Innocence," I agree, "Although the one thing I'm still having trouble with is how it came to live inside a carnivorous flower."_

 _"_ _Well, what if the General came to return the flower?" Lavi offers, "It's possible the Innocence was lying dormant inside the plant for a long time and only activated after Cross left it here."_

 _"_ _Ever since these fangs grew in, I've had an uncontrollable bloodlust. And then," his voice grew quiet, "I met Eliade shortly after."_

 _"_ _Allen, Cas, and I are looking for the man that visited you," Lavi continues, "Did he say anything about where he was going next?"_

 _"_ _I think he did," Krory replies, "He said that he wanted to go somewhere far away and asked me to lend him money for his travels."_

 _I grimace, "He did that here too."_

 _Krory's only response is a heavy sigh._

 _Lavi and I regard him warily._

 _"_ _Are you okay?" I ask, although that is probably a dumb question._

 _"_ _Don't worry; I'm fine, really," Krory insists, "I have a favor to ask: would you mind going ahead and waiting for me outside the castle? I'd like some time to myself while I prepare for the journey."_

 _He seems really shook up. I guess I can't really blame him._

 _I smile reassuringly, "Sure."_

* * *

 _The great iron gate creaks loudly as Lavi and I exit the Castle courtyard, finding ourselves back on the dirt road that lead down the cliff to the village.  
The air is still and eerily silent, but I suppose that's to be expected after the long battle now behind us._

 _Lavi looks up to the greying sky, stretching as he does so.  
"The sun should be up any minute. Boy, that sure was a crazy night."_

 _I can't find it in me to share his enthusiasm. I'm more exhausted then anything, but also perplexed.  
"The only clue we found out about my master is that he came over here. We still don't know why."_

 _Lavi shrugs, "Well, remember, we found a new Exorcist in Fang-boy. So it wasn't a total waste of time."_

 _I sigh, I suppose he's right._

 _I catch Lavi eyeing me.  
"You're still worrying about Cas, aren't you?"_

 _"_ _Of course I am," I reply._

 _"_ _Well, don't sweat it; she's in good hands with Bookman."_

 _"_ _I know that," I pause, sighing in slight frustration, "It's just…it's not just Cas I'm worried about. It's Krory too. I mean, what happened to him, what he was forced to…nobody should have to live through something like that._

 _Lavi chuckles, "Hey, Allen, don't act like you did something wrong; Krory needed a reason to go on living and you gave it to him. Things might not be so great for him right now, but give it some time. It'll all work out in the end."_

 _"_ _An elegant speech," says a voice._

 _We both jump and whirl around to see Bookman standing behind us._

 _"_ _Way to scare me!" I cry._

 _"_ _You old fart, how long have you been standing there?" Lavi demands._

 _"_ _I just got here," Lavi calmly replies._

 _I sigh, pausing to give my heart time to settle back down.  
"How's Cas doing?" _

_"_ _Fine," Bookman replies, "She's awake now actually if you want to see her."_

 _My heart leaps at those words.  
"Then let's go!"_

 _"_ _I wonder what's keeping Krory," Lavi inquires._

 _No sooner had he said this, then a great rumble rises up from seemingly the center of the earth; it shakes the entire area before it boils to a point. Lavi and I whirl around in time to see the entire castle explode in an eruption of fire and stone spewing out in all directions._

 _My mouth falls open in utter shock and terror._

 _Krory…_

 _The thought is too horrible to even conceive, and horrible guilt suddenly wreaks havoc on my insides, rocking me to my core._

 _Lavi rushes up beside me, "Don't tell me…"_

 _"_ _Krory!" I yell, starting forward, but I stop dead when a dark shape suddenly melts out of the newborn flames._

 _As it approaches, the shape morphs into Krory, and I can't conceal my surprise._

 _The faux-vampire chuckles, "Look at your faces. You thought I died; I'm sorry if I gave you all a scare, but as you can see I'm fine. You should know, I fully intend on devoting my life into becoming an Exorcist."_

 _My initial shock eventually fades, and I smile.  
"Great."_

* * *

 _Dawn had just broken over the village of Strigoi when we returned to the inn. I'd sprinted over the threshold and bounded up the stairs to the bedroom Bookman had indicated.  
I throw open the door to find Cas sitting up in bed, a bucket of blood beside her. She still looks a little pale, but she's smiling and smoking her pipe._

 _She raises her eyes to meet me.  
"Hey, kid."_

 _I laugh in response, crossing the room in two strides and embrace her fully, gripping her perhaps a little too tightly, but I don't care and neither does she as Cas hugs me back._

 _We sit like this for a long time, but it would never be long enough. I never want to let her go again._

 _Blood, lemon, and cigarettes._

* * *

 _A/N: Woot! Woot! Vampire Castle Arc is done, and Cas is okay! Yeah! Allen is so sweet. However, one must remember that Krory has drunk quite a bit of Cas's Blood? Will this have an effect on him? Only time will tell. Be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter. I'm super excited for it :) Leave a review at the door._


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Reviews, reviews, so many lovely reviews. I am eternally grateful.

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: Oh dear, poor Allen. The boy's in love and doesn't even know it yet. Everyone knows except for him that he does, of course. Except Cas, she knows he definitely cares, but...;). I'm also glad that you finally settled on her sexuality, and I've probably mentioned it before last time I reviewed but (I actually looked in the review section and my PMs but we actually didn't have a conversation about that? Damn I swear we did. Anyway.) I really like Cas because she's just so authentic and feels like an actual person who does belong in this world. It's obvious of how long you've spent fleshing her out and making sure she doesn't feel like an extra, example, she is there for a purpose and fits seamlessly by how she's drowning in her own blood and so Krory has to drink the extra to save her. She's not just there as an accessory and is constructive to the plot. So keep up the great work, I'm really enjoying this so far!

A: Yes, Allen is definitely head over heels, isn't he? As far as Cas, well she doesn't really know what or how to feel much of anything so only time will tell (also there will be a few wrenches thrown in her way in the near future). As far as discussing Cas's sexuality, I don't believe we've done that either, but I'd be more than happy to talk about it with you:) I'm so happy with all the praise Cas is getting; she's a different character than the one's I normally write, and I was somewhat tentative when I first published this story so thanks for all the positive reception.

From: Dainty  
Q: I think the only problem I have is that you're repeating things that we know. If Can isn't a part of it you shouldn't have to rewrite it. It really does get boring rereading things that I know already happened. You should put more of a twist to it author-san don't be afraid to do so because this is your story. I really do love your idea and your OC and am looking forward to what you have in store for us in the future

A: Yeah, I see what you're saying here. I think part of the problem was the perspective change from Cas to Allen so it covered more canonical events. This will not be a regular occurrence, and the future holds several new developments in the next few installments including a completely original chapter. Thanks for the constructive criticism.

From: Ella Unlimited  
Q: Well, you've done it again! Absolutely fabulous chapter— wonderful character interaction, great plot, and another chapter that left me wanting more! Be sure you update soon, I'm pretty sure I'm getting addicted to Cas and Allen!

A: Oh, thank you so much. Your reviews really make me smile. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me.

From: WaruWaru  
Q: Okay, so I've just finished binge-reading this story and I'm just happy. Like, very happy.  
I'm honestly not sure if it's because of the sheer beauty of the story itself or this chapter's ending, but let's just go with the former.  
I think I might have a reader's crush on Cas... maybe. She's just such a well-developed OC, one with a very palpable personality and an ability to just melt in with the main plot as smoothly as butter on warm toast (I'm a bit hungry). I also love your narration, it's one of the best I've seen on this site since I stopped reading KHR fanfics a while ago *brushes tear away dramatically*. There are a couple of typoes(idk) spread around here and there, but I'll swallow it all up for the sake of this gorgeous masterpiece of a fanfiction.

A: Thanks so much for taking the time to read all nineteen chapters at once! That's awesome. Yeah, sorry about the typos; no matter how many times I edit, those little shits still seem to sneak by me, but your other commentary on my writing really warmed my heart as it took a lot of years of struggling with grammar in school to get to a level where I fell more confident. I'm glad you like Cas so much; she's certainly entertaining to write as well. I hope you enjoy future chapters:)

* * *

Chapter 20: Krory's Journey

* * *

I sit on the bed alone in the room in the inn I'd found myself in when I'd awoken the previous morning. It had been a grueling venture, the ordeal in the Castle, but I recalled little of it.  
After I'd regained consciousness, Allen and Lavi had explained to me what had transpired, how the Akuma known as Eliade had perished at the hands of none other than her former lover Krory.

I hadn't seen any of the faux-vampire since waking up; he'd been sticking to the shadows for fear of the villagers, but I was eager to meet him again, now as an ally, and to thank him for saving my life.

In the meantime, I pick haphazardly at the meal of bread, meat, and milk provided for me by the innkeeper. For the first time in my life, I find myself with little appetite.  
My thoughts are too unsettled; I know that I almost died, but that isn't what's bothering me. It wasn't the first time I'd found myself on the brink of expiration but more so the reason behind it: that it had been my own Blood that had nearly killed me.

That is a terrifying thought, to think my own body could be capable of destroying me from the inside out. While the rhythmic pounding of my life fluids drumming in my ears usually brings me comfort and security, today it unnerves me to no end.

I shut my eyes, trying to quell these disconcerting thoughts.  
What is my Blood capable of? How in control is the Innocence? How in control am I?

These thoughts instantly shatter around me as a sharp knock on the door causes my eyes to snap open.  
After a tentative moment, it opens a crack and Allen peeks in.

"Cas, you have to eat something," he exclaims in slight exasperation, opening the door wider and striding into the room.

He'd showered since the last time I'd seen him; his hair is clean and his face clear, save a few thick bandages covering parts of his cheek and jawline, wrinkled slightly by the worried crease in his brow.

I smile at him reassuringly. "I'm fine, kid. Would you stop fussing?"

"I can't help it," Allen replies, shrugging sheepishly as he sits down on the bed next to me, "You gave me the fright of my life yesterday."

"Sorry about that."

"Don't apologize!" Allen hurriedly insists, "I'm just happy you're okay."

"So am I," I declare, finally picking up a piece of meat on the bone and biting into it, if only to quell Allen's concerns. The rich meat feels good rolling over my tongue, and I take another mouthful, now fully unperturbed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Allen looking at me.

"What?" I murmur through a mouthful of beef, "Is there something on my face?"

"It bothers you doesn't it?" Allen answers my question with another question.

"What does?" I demand.

"You know what I mean: your Blood and the fact that it almost killed you. That bothers you."

I snort, trying to play off my reservations as I set the now striped beef bone down on the plate.  
"Stop reading me like a book," I chide playfully.

"You shouldn't have to feel afraid," Allen remarks.

"As if it matters anyways," I reply, shrugging, "It's my body, and the Innocence inside me is what keeps me alive. Whether I want it to or not, it's word is law."

Allen looks unnerved, "You speak as if it were alive."

I raise an eyebrow.

"Gah…" Allen scoots back along the bed.

My expression folds, and I burst out laughing.  
"Oh, as if Allen. Come on!"

The young boy relaxes immediately.  
"Don't do that!" he grumbles, lightly shoving me in the arm.

"Ow," I feign injury, rubbing my shoulder.

Allen's expression softens after a moment. Cautiously, he reaches out and places a hand on my chest, just barely able to feel the soft heat my Innocence heart gives off.  
"You're too important for it to let you die," he proclaims, "It tried to save you, but it failed. Instead it made it worse, and perhaps it knew that. You always talk about how you can 'sense' when other Innocence is nearby. Perhaps it felt Krory, and knew that he could save you. Perhaps it knew everything was going to be alright."

I smirk down at him, "Now who's speaking like it's alive." Allen scowls at me, and I laugh.  
"I'm just kidding. Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better."

Allen smiles again, but it falters momentarily when he realizes he's still touching my chest and quickly yanks his hand away, blushing furiously.

"Right, so anyway, where's Krory?" I then inquire.

"Outside, I think," Allen replies.

"Can I see him?" I ask.

"I think so."

"Great!" I immediately jump to my feet, but Allen grabs my wrist.

"Hold up! Eat that first, and then you can go see Krory," he points to the remaining milk and bread still resting on the tray.

I sigh dramatically. "Come on. I told you I'm fine."

Allen just continues to point at the food. "Eat."

My shoulders slump, "Ugh. Fine!" I then snatch up the piece of bread in one hand and glass of milk in the other before stuffing the former into my mouth and then downing the latter in a single gulp, swallowing the whole mouthful with surprising skill.

"Better?" I ask, wiping my mouth.

"Yep," Allen gets to his feet as well. "I'm glad you're feeling better," he adds, patting my shoulder in farewell before exiting the room.

I linger for a moment, throwing a robe over my blue and white striped pajamas before hurrying outside.

Most of the inn is uninhabitable beyond the point of my room due to the ceiling still under construction from the Akuma attack two nights ago. I carefully pick my way around the rubble as I attempt to make it to the stairs.

Once reaching them, I hurry down the steep, single flight and into the main dining room. Bookman and Lavi are sitting at a table by the window, eating oatmeal and taking in low voices with their heads close together.

The innkeeper, having recovered, is stirring a large pot of stew with a heavy bandage wrapped around his head.

I look around the large room, but don't see a sign of Krory anywhere.

I'm about to go back upstairs when I hear a small voice from behind me.  
"Cas?"

I whirl around to find that, under the slope of the stairway, sits a hunched figure draped in a heavy black cloak. Krory is sitting with his knees pulled into his chest, head resting on his elbows.

I can feel he's absolutely crestfallen.

"Hey," I say in tender response as I duck down under the stairs and settle in beside him, crossing my legs Indian style in order to better accommodate them in the narrow space. "You okay?"

That's a stupid question; of course he isn't okay.

"It's so big out here," Krory whispers, "Beyond the castle walls, there's so much space."

"It's the world," I remind him, "Did you expect it to be small?"

"Smaller."

Even though Krory is older than me by a significant margin, I can't help but feel like he is a small child that needs to be protected.

"Listen, it's going to get better; I can promise you that," I assure him, placing a hand on his shoulder, "It might seem jarring at times, but that's how everyone feels when they start to make their way in the world. I know that when I left my small town, I was practically reeling. It's normal to feel this way."

"But how can I just move on from everything that's happened?" Krory exclaimed. "That Castle, everything in it, Eliade…They were all a part of me. Without them, I am nothing."

"Just because they're gone physically doesn't mean that they don't live on with you and the memories you have," I explained. "I know how you feel, if it's any consolation. The girl I loved became an Akuma too, and I was forced to kill her. I had no choice."

Krory turns towards me, eyes wide in astonishment.

"It doesn't-" I close my eyes for a moment before continuing, "It doesn't every go away, but it does get easier, and while the pain of that bad memory lingers, all of the good memories that you shared will help to ease the wound. You can take what you want from your experiences, but take my advice. Don't let that pain consume you, turn it into strength and take this world by storm." I pull down the sleeves of my PJs, exposing the tattooed words 'never forget' inked into my forearms; I then turn to look at Krory again, "Okay?"

The faintest hint of a smile crosses Krory's face, "Okay."

I grin, "Good. And thank you, by the way, for saving me. I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for you."

Now Krory smiles fully, "It was my pleasure, Cas."

I nod before getting to my feet, "I better get dressed; we'll be leaving soon." As I turn to duck back out from under the stairs, I turn back to Krory, "My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word."

Krory looks bemused, "What's that?"

"Psalm 119:28."

* * *

The villagers were not happy. Actually, that was an understatement; there were downright murderous.  
George and all the others condemned us as conspiring with the devil once they found out we'd spared Krory despite Allen and Lavi's attempts to explain that Krory actually wasn't a vampire but an Innocence Accommodator.  
Instead of listening, George and his village labeled us all monsters and drove us from their town.

Needless to say, it wasn't a warm sendoff.

While Allen and I had both gotten the brunt of such treatment before, and Lavi and Bookman were used to the cold shoulder, Krory was practically inconsolable.

"But I'm an Exorcist now," he kept saying as we climbed aboard the train outside Strigoi, "Why do they still hate me?"

Despite my best efforts, Krory could not be comforted this time, so we all fell quiet.  
Well, except Bookman, who had opted to take a later train after he had finished making his 'report'.

While Allen had his reservations about leaving the old man behind, Lavi told him not to worry.

The train ride is silent save the blast of the whistle and rush of the wheels over the tracks.

Lavi reads most of the ride, Krory sits curled up in a ball by the window, occasionally muttering to himself.  
Allen sleeps against my shoulder, which has become the typical train ride posture for him while I scribble away in my logbook, recording the events of our mission in Romania.  
As I skim through the weather-beaten pages of previous entries, I can't help but notice the sudden spike in Level II Akuma encounters as opposed to Level I which were far more common.

That can't be good.

However, I'm far too exhausted to mull over the idea for very long and soon found myself drifting off to sleep again. I'm still not at a hundred percent despite my greatly improved condition; I still feel rather chilled and achy and there's a slight scratch in my throat.  
Perhaps more sleep is warranted.

However, the train out of Strigoi is not the typical high travel we Exorcists are used to. There's no first class, or any class really. We are the only passengers which at least allowed us some room to stretch out on the otherwise uncomfortable seats, but the road out of the mountains is bumpy and uneven, and I kept getting jerked back from the precipice of slumber, nearly knocking Allen off the seat as we were both jostled roughly.

He remains unfazed, however; the boy could sleep through an air raid.

Finally, the train arrives at the station just a few towns over from Bucharest.  
Instead of hoping on another train, we all opted to rent out a horse drawn carriage to take us to the capitol.

Krory is still sniveling as we trundle along down the road.

Lavi, who had taken time off from picking at his own bandages, gave it his best shot at providing some comfort.  
"What are you so depressed for, Krory? We gave it our best shot, but not matter how I tried to explain the situation to them, the villagers didn't listen to a word I said."

"Yeah, but," Krory sniffs loudly.

Allen sighs, crossing his arms.  
"I was a bit offended; I mean we helped those people."

"Who cares if we can't go back," Lavi scoffs, "The only home a man needs is in his heart."

Meanwhile, I'm still half-asleep next to Krory across from Allen and Lavi. I open an eye at Lavi's words.  
"Excuse me while I gag."

"Ah, lay off me, Cassandra," Lavi exclaims dismissively.

"I won't if you keep calling me that," I snap before my words collapse into a loud cough.

"Hey, you okay?" Allen asks.

"Yeah, fine. Just a little sore throat," I reply simply.

Lavi looks concerned, "You're not getting sick, are you?"

"I doubt it," I assert, "But if I am, it's no big deal. I had tuberculosis once, and it only lasted an hour. My Blood can heal just about anything."

I catch Allen still looking concerned and shoot a smile his way, hoping to reassure him.

When we arrived in Bucharest, it's midday. The city has come alive: a bustling throng of people going to and from the large shops lining the main streets.  
The crowd parts as we walk along the cobblestone road, perturbed by our long black and white cloaks.

Krory gazes about him, jaw practically at his knees, in utter awe of his surroundings. "So this is what a city looks like!"

"You've never been here before?" Allen asks.

"Of course not," Krory replies, dropping his eyes sheepishly, "I've lived in that Castle my entire life."

"Well, we've got a little time before the train leaves," Lavi declares, "Why don't you have a look around?"

Krory's face brightens. "You're right. It should be good for me; I'll catch you later!" He then sprints away, vanishing into the crowd.

"Have fun," Lavi and Allen call after him.

I don't share their enthusiasm as I watch Krory attempt to navigate the throng, "Maybe I should go with him," I say to the other two before hurrying after the faux-vampire.

When I find him, Krory is standing by a booth selling antique masks, intently examining one in particular.  
"Wow! What a fantastic piece of art," he says of a rather ugly yellow mask with green and purple stripes and a long red tongue sticking out of the mouth.

"Your taste is impeccable, sir," the salesman exclaims, "This was an enchanted mask; it was worn by the royal family over three thousand years ago. I have it on hold, but I could sell it to you."

Krory is in awe, "Three thousand years, you say?"

"Um, what 'royal family' are you speaking of?" I inquire of the salesman, but Krory is already handing him a generous wad of money before I can get the words out.

Before I know it, Krory has bought a half dozen other items from the shop.

"Look guys!" he calls to Allen and Lavi as they approach us, holding out the knickknacks to them. "I got some sweet deals."

Lavi looks perplexed as Krory shows him a purple and yellow bobble-head that changed its expression if you shook it hard enough. "If you could call it that."

Allen takes the mask from Krory and examines it briefly, "Sorry, Krory, but this is a fake."

The older man's face fell, "A fake! That can't be true; that salesman told me it was worn by royalty over three thousand years ago, and it's their only remaining-" he's interrupted by me tapping him on the shoulder, solemnly pointing to said shop owner, who was fishing an identical mask to the one Krory had just purchased out of a bag full of many, many copies.

The man gasps when he sees us looking at him; snatching up the bag, he tries to run away.

"Big Hammer, Little Hammer: Extend!" Lavi's Innocence activates, lengthening until it snags the runaway conman around the neck and tugs him back over to us.  
He collapses at Krory's feet, gasping for breath.  
"H-Here, sir; here's a full refund," he stammers breathlessly, throwing a handful of money at Krory's feet before taking off again and vanishing into the crowd.

"That snake," I spat bitterly.

"You need to be more careful, Krory," Allen urges, "There are people in this world that will take advantage of you."

"Oh, thank you, Allen."

Lavi shakes his head, "Krory's got a lot to learn. Better get some street smarts fast."

"Want to buy this book?" another salesman asks, "Reading it will bring you eternal happiness."

"Yes, I would!"

"Krory," Allen and Lavi shout in unison.

"Come on," I say to him, slapping the book out of his hand and grabbing him by the end of his cape, pulling him further down the street, "If it's shopping you want, I know a few places that will be less hazardous."

* * *

So, while Allen and Lavi buy us lunch and tickets, Krory and I spend the better part of an hour perusing bookstores, antique shops, and makeup boutiques (mostly because I wanted to).

I look up from the compact foundation I'd been examining at the sound of a woman screaming.

My eyes widen in alarm.  
"Krory, you're not supposed to _eat_ that!"

After getting kicked out of that store, we pass a stand run by some nuns who are selling old jewelry from their convent.  
"Wow, look at this stuff," I pause before the spread of dozens of beautiful silver and gold rosaries, crosses, and venerating pedants to the saints all decorated in dozens of glittering jewels.

I pause on a large silver cross hanging from a chain; it's carved in a gothic style with several rubies accenting the design. "This is gorgeous," I say to one of the nuns attending the stand.

"Thank you, dear," she replies, "Would you like to buy it?"

"I wish I could," I reply, "But I don't have enough money."

As I speak, a hand suddenly reaches over my shoulder and takes the cross from me.  
"How much?" Krory asks from behind me.

I whirl around. "Oh, no, Krory. You don't have to-"

"I know. I want to," he replies with a shrug, paying the nuns and then dropping the cross into my hand. "It's the least I can do for you being so kind to me."

I'm at a loss for words as I look down at the cross necklace.  
"Thank you," I finally saw.

The distant cry of the train whistle instantly breaks the spell.  
"Oh shit!" I exclaim, tossing the chain over my neck and snatching Krory's hand. Thanking the nuns one last time before we leave, we both sprint across the market towards the train station just in time to catch it before it leaves the platform.

"Whew, that was close," I exclaim, pausing to catch my breath.

"Cassandra, Krory, over here!" We look up to see Lavi waving to us from a seat towards the end of the carriage.

We make our way over to them.

"About time," Allen remarks as Krory and I sit down across from him and Lavi, handing me a few turkey sandwiches.

"I know. We almost didn't make it," I reply, taking a bite of one of the subs.

"Uh, Krory, you've got lipstick on your teeth," Lavi remarks, confused.

Frantically wiping his mouth, Krory eagerly gazes about him, too excited to eat as he peers out the window. The train quickly leaves Bucharest behind and continues on through the countryside, heading steadily north.

"These trains are so amazing," Krory exclaims, "How soon until we reach the Black Order?"

"Hopefully tomorrow evening," Allen replies.

"Oh, I'm so excited," Krory cries, jumping to his feet, "I can't wait to explore the world!"

With that, he takes off down the aisle towards the door the next carriage, eager to see more of the train.

"Aren't you going to go with him, Cassandra?" Lavi inquires.

"I'm eating."

"Where'd you get that cross?" Allen asks.

I look down at the large pendant dangling against my chest and smile fondly.  
"Krory bought it for me."

"It wasn't a scam was it?" Lavi asks nervously.

"No. I made sure," I assert, waving a dismissive hand.

"That was really nice of him."

"He is a sweetheart, if a bit naïve. His heart's in the right place at the very least."

"I just hope he's ready for what's to come," Lavi remarks gravely, "This job isn't necessarily easy."

Allen and I both nod in agreement, the mood between us instantly changing.

"Well, despite his demeanor, Krory has seen some shit," I declare, "He knows the challenges and the hardships of hunting Akuma first hand, and you've both seen that he's pretty good at it."

Allen and Lavi exchange a knowing glance.

"All the same," I continue, pausing to shove the last bite of my final sandwich into my mouth, "We can't let the job consume us; we need to have days like this, you know? Semi-normal. It reminds us of what we're fighting for, of what's important. I think if Krory, if we all do that, we'll be just fine."

Allen smiles. "I think you're absolutely right Cas."

"And with that," I declare, fishing around in the pocket of my clock, "Cas needs a smoke."

I pull out my pipe after a moment and then my box of matches. I falter when I notice the latter is rather soggy. "Oh fuck."

"What is it?" Lavi asks.

"My matches are soaking wet!" I cry, unfurling the pack to reveal that every single one is completely useless. "How the hell did that happen? Did I go swimming without my knowledge the other night?"

"Well, it did rain indoors," Allen recalls.

"Ugh, whatever," I grumble, getting to my feet and shuffling out of the booth.

"Where are you going?" Lavi calls after me.

"To see if anyone has a light."

After going up and down the aisle of my cart, I find that its passengers are thoroughly matchless, which is very annoying.

Grumbling to myself, I open the door that leads outside to the platform between the adjoining cars, gazing forlornly down at my destroyed match box as the wind generated by the frantic movement of the train whips about my long red hair and stings my eyes.  
I'm obviously not looking where I'm going because the next thing I know, I slam headfirst directly into someone's chest.

"Oomph!" said person staggers back in surprise, scattering dozens of small objects all over the narrow platform.

"Gah! I'm so sorry," I exclaim, not looking up as I immediately drop down to pick up a pile of fallen playing cards.

"It's fine. It's fine. Don't worry about it," the other person replies in a slight accent, stooping to gather up the remaining cards.

Both our hands go for the last one at the same time, and I quickly snatch my hand back as the other person grabs it first. My head finally snaps up to come face to face with a young man in his early twenties. He has lightly tanned skin framed with shaggy black hair which matches the scruff peppering his chin. However, most of his face is obscured by a pair of exceptionally thick glasses that are almost distorting, and I silently wonder in that instant if he can even see out of them.

The man smiles at me, and it's not in the least unappealing.  
"Hello there."

"Uh, hi." I reply instantly dropping my eyes. I then felt rather silly squatting on the open platform outside a train car and quickly stagger to my feet.

The man does the same, straightening up to be a few inches taller than me; he's dressed rather poorly in a faded white shirt and a pair of tattered overalls with a broken strap.  
"You gave me quite a surprise there," he remarks.

"Huh? Oh! I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. That was really rude of me; I'm sorry," I find myself blabbering like an idiot until the man holds up his hand, and I instantly slam my mouth shut.

"Don't worry about it; there's no need to apologize."

He then catches sight of my powder blue pipe and box of ruined matches still clutched in my fist.

"Need a light?"

I laugh, embarrassed, "Yes."

"Well, I was just off to the caboose for a smoke myself. Care to join me?"

"Sure."

* * *

"Tyki Mikk by the way," the man says as he leans forward to light the pipe I now had between my teeth.

I pause to blow a drag of smoke before responding. "Cas"

Tyki's brow furrows. "Just 'Cas'?"

"I'm not obligated to reveal my surname to you, nor do I especially want to," I regret saying that almost immediately.  
 _Damn it_ , I inwardly wince, _I was trying to sound playful, but that probably sounded really abrasive!_

To my surprise, Tyki chuckles.  
"Oh you're a fiery one, aren't you? Fiery like your lovely red hair."

I arch an eyebrow. "Was that flirting?"

Tyki smirks as he puffs his cigarette, "What if it is?"

There's a pause as we both turn our attention to the quickly retreating countryside vanishing around us from our spot on the caboose platform, the wind whistling past our ears as the train winds through the wooded hills.

"So where are you from?" Tyki eventually inquires.

"Germany."

"No accent."

I laugh. I pretty much expect that observation by now.  
"Yeah, I've lived in England for some time," I explain, "And speaking of accents, that's Portuguese right?"

Tyki grins, blowing a cloud of pearly smoke out of the side of his mouth, "Beautiful and clever."

 _Wow. That was sexy._

I find myself blushing. That's weird for me.  
"Would you stop?"

Tyki raises an eyebrow. "What if I don't?"

I roll my eyes, feigning exasperation. "Got any more questions?"

"Where are you headed?"

"Back north, I'm escorting someone…Not that kind of escort!" I quickly add when Tyki looks surprised, "I'm accompanying a colleague."

"Ah. I see." Tyki laughs.

That's a nice sound.  
 _Stop it, Cas!_

What do you do?" Tyki then inquires.

I grin. "Couldn't you tell by the coat?"

Tyki laughs again, jabbing the unlit end of his cigarette into my chest, lightly dusting the silver Black Order crest, "I had a sneaking suspicion…you're an Exorcist."

I nod, my smile broadening. "Beautiful and clever."

Tyki quirks his eyebrow suggestively, "Now who's flirting?"

My insides go: Gah!

"What do you do?" I ask, fiercely biting at the tip of my pipe so as to quell my sporadic nerves.

"I work in salt mines mostly."

I'm actually slightly astonished by this; although I suppose it explains the outfit. "Really?" I ask, loosening my hold on my pipe and blowing out more smoke.

"Does that surprise you?"

"Actually yeah, I thought salt miners were…"

"Old?" Tyki offers.

"Ugly" I respond

Tyki chuckles. "I'm flattered. Anyways, work's been rough in the south so some friends and I are traveling upstate in the hopes of finding better jobs in the cities."

"Well, best of luck to you," I proclaim.

Tyki smiles, and it almost takes on a serpentine edge this time. While mildly disconcerting, it's also annoyingly alluring. "Hey, save your luck for yourself. Lord knows you're gonna need it, Cas."

And now I'm puddy.

"Well!" I say a little too loudly, dousing my pipe on my palm and turning towards the door, "I better get back to my friends; they'll be looking for me."

"See ya, Cas. Perhaps we'll meet again someday," Tyki calls after me as I open the door into the welcome stability of the train car.

I laugh sheepishly. "Yeah, maybe."

Damnit. I feel like even more of an idiot then when I ask Emma to the dance with flowers she was allergic too!

I can't help but let my mind wander as I walk back to my train car; it had been a while since I'd found myself attracted to someone that intensely. The last person I could think of was Kanda, but I'd found myself pretty confident with him because he was just so bloody transparent.

Tyki had been, well, mysterious…and sexy. In a _Phantom of the Opera_ style way.

But did that make me Christine?

Emma had usually been Christine when we'd read that book together.

What a strange notion.

By the time I'd made it back to Lavi and Allen, the latter had ordered more food which I was more than happy to oblige in.

"You haven't seen Krory, have you?" Lavi asks as I disembowel a shepherd's pie.

"Nope."

"I thought he'd be back by now," Allen muses as he spoons beef stew into his mouth.

"We should probably go look for him," Lavi alludes as he picks at a dinner roll.

"We're eating," Allen replies.

After we're done with our food, and Krory still hasn't returned (it really had been a while), we decide it's the safest option to go reel him in.

"Krory!" Allen calls two cars later as we walked up and down the aisles, searching for any sign of our vampiric friend.

"This train isn't even that big," Lavi exclaims, "What do you suppose he's been doing for the last three hours?"

"Maybe he's lost?" I offer, slightly distracted.

"How could he get lost if there's really only one way to go?" Allen wonders aloud.

We cross from car to car, finding no sign of Krory anywhere. Eventually, we reach the luggage car; Allen pulls the door open only for the most bizarre of sights to meet all of our eyes.

"Krory?" Allen and Lavi shout at once at the same time I cry:

"Tyki?"

The former is sighting on the ground in the middle of the baggage in nothing but his underwear playing what appears to be poker with Tyki and three other rough looking people: two of them around his age and dressed in similar worn clothing, the third is a boy with blonde hair and a mask around his mouth.

"Hey, you three are interrupting a very important game," Tyki calls to the three of us. "Now, my friend, are you ready for another hand?" he adds to Krory, who's whimpering and sniveling in utter terror and shame (and also probably cold).

"Um…no thank you, sir. I'm not."

Strip poker…of course.

 _Damnit! Why do all the good-looking one's have to be the crooks?"_

"So Krory, having fun?" Allen asks knowingly, crouching down next to him.

"Uh, no," Krory replies meekly, "These men asked me if I wanted to play a game called poker with them. As you can see, it hasn't been going very well." He then sneezes oudly.

Allen recoils.

"Hey, come on! You promised us another hand," one of Tyki's friends, a rough-faced fellow with shaggy brown hair, interjects impatiently.

"You agreed to play us," Tyki adds leaning towards Krory with his half-lit cigarette still hanging from his lips, "If you're a real player, you'll see this through to the very end."

Krory whimpers, "Yeah, but-."

Allen suddenly thrusts his coat between them, showing off the gleaming badge, "Why don't you take a look at the coat; the buttons are made of silver. If you let me use it as collateral, I'll play a few hands with you. If I win, you give my friend his clothes back."

"Allen! Hold up," Lavi exclaims, "You sure about this?"

"You do know what poker is, right?" I add.

Allen glares at me, "Don't condescend me, Cas; I know what I'm doing."

Tyki chuckles, his eyes gleaming, "Deal."

"Alright then," Allen sits down cross-legged in Krory's place, and Tyki starts dealing the cards.

Right so…Allen's good. Like really good. Like the best fucking poker player I've ever seen in my life kind of good, and my grandma knows her poker.

"I call," Allen announces, sliding a row of cards forward. He giggles at his success.

"A fucking royal straight flush!" Tyki and two of his friends all cry in utter shock and fury.

The game has not been going well for them: all three are stripped down to their boxers.

I couldn't believe Allen's skill at this game. While Lavi and Krory watch with utter astonishment, I sit on a sideways briefcase, resting my chin on my hand in utter amusement.

Also, Tyki in nothing but his underwear…there are less unpleasant sights.

"I guess I win again," Allen announces, smiling innocently.

"This kid's playing us like fools," the of Tyki's friends, a man with a big nose and ugly yellow cap, hisses frantically. "I thought you dealt him all the crappy cards," he adds to his other friend.

"I did! He's no ordinary brat; he's a poker master."

Allen chuckles. "Piece of cake, piece of cake," he chides under his breath as he turns and winks at me.

I smile in response. Who would have thought?

"One more game," Tyki declares.

Allen smirks, shuffling the cards between his hands, "Alright, just make sure you wash that underwear before you hand it over."

Krory beams in amazement, "Oh Allen, you're incredible."

"What's up, Allen?" Lavi whispers, "Aren't you a little _too_ good at this game?"

"It's because he's cheating," I reply simply.

Lavi gawks. "Are you serious? That's…surprising."

"I know right," I agree.

Allen shrugs, "I don't feel bad about it; they're the ones that scammed Krory first." As he speaks, he lays down two cards on top of the pile, only for three more to subtly fall out of his sleeve onto the top of the stack which he then picks up and adds to his hand.  
"I _never_ lose at a card game. When I was training with Master Cross, I had to hone my skills in whatever way possible in order to pay off his debts and earn a living for myself."  
He chuckles darkly, a lewd smile crossing his normally pleasant face, "Winning is everything in gambling; because these three are working together, I find this to be an even match." He cackles wildly, causing Lavi and Krory to recoil in slight fear.

The former taps my shoulder, "Do you think we should put a stop to this?"

I smirk, "Are you kidding? I'm having way too much fun right now."

"Call," Allen announces, "Four of a kind."

"What the hell!" Tyki and his friends shout.

"I believe that's game," Allen proclaims.

The train stops a moment later; utterly beaten and humiliated, Tyki and his three friends exit the car, stepping out into the freezing March air in nothing but their boxer shorts.

They stand huddled on the desolate platform, shaking and sniveling in the frozen air.

"Krory, stop crying and put on your clothes," Lavi hisses as Allen neatly folds up the spoils of his victory.

"That was thoroughly badass," I say to him, "But what are we going to do with a bunch of dirty old clothes?"

"Nothing," Allen replies simply before leaning out the window. I follow suit just as he holds out the bundle of attire to the four disheveled workers.  
"Here. Since I won my friend's things back, I have no use for your stuff."

Tyki's three friends all regard him with contempt.

"Look kid," Tyki snap at him, "You can think you're a big shot 'cause you won, but we never asked for your pity."

I raise an eyebrow, "Then why are you reaching for them?"

Tyki and his two friends looked down at their arms, seemingly grabbing at their pilfered belongs of their own accord. The cold's a powerful thing.

"Well, I suppose," Tyki finally relented as he and his companions quickly pull their clothes back on.  
"You're a lifesaver, kid. I was about five minutes away from frostbite," he adds over the whistle of the train as the last of its passengers either enter or exit its cars.

"Your welcome," Allen replies, his sweeter demeanor having returned now that the game's over.

"Here," Tyki reaches into his pocket and pulls out the deck of cards, "Catch." He tosses the pack to Allen who grasps it in his hands, "Consider it a token of my thanks."

The kid grins in response. "I will."

Tyki then turns to me, "Well, would you look at that, we cross paths again in the span of only a few hours; I call that lucky."

"Perhaps it is," I reply, leaning further out the train window, "But just in case." I then reach forward and tenderly lift his glasses off his face.

Tyki's eyes widen once they're revealed fully, and I smile, pleased with the results. Tyki's eyes are coal black behind his glasses and there's a tiny mole under the left one that had previously been obscured by the large lens.

"Wow, you're actually really cute under these things."  
As the train whistles again, I clasp his chin and kiss him thoroughly on the mouth. He kisses me back just in the instant the train starts moving forward and we're swiftly pulled apart.

"Thanks for that!" I call back, blowing another kiss, "Tchau!*"

The train nears a tunnel, and I swiftly pull my head in just as Tyki and his companions vanish from view.

I turn to meet the stunned faces of Allen, Lavi, and Krory.

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?" Allen cries, "What the heck was that?"

"That was a kiss, kid."

"But why'd you kiss him?" Lavi asks.

"Because life is short, and he was hot," I reply, looking between the three of them and their still surprised expressions, "What? It's not like I'm ever going to see him again. Allen, why do you look so pissed off?"

"Just forget it!" Allen snaps, dropping his eyes. I then notice his fists are clenched.

"What's the matter with you?" I ask, getting the feeling he's angry.

"Nothing!" Allen shoots back, far too forcefully for it to really be 'nothing'.

With that, he turns and stalks out of the baggage cart, Krory hurrying after him.

Lavi sighs as he follows them out, clasping the bridge of his nose, "Oh boy, I hope we get to the Order soon."

I cross my arms, annoyed at the feeling that I need to defend myself as I head after Lavi.  
As I move to the next carriage, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a large black butterfly lingering on the window outside the train car.

* * *

Allen was in a surly mood the rest of the trip to the Order, but he brightened up somewhat once we arrived at the familiar mountaintop tower.

"We finally made it," Lavi sighs with relief as we approach the large black gates.

Despite the prospect of a warm bed and a hot meal, Krory still seems dismal.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask him.

Lavi chuckles, "Still thinking about the train ride? Don't worry; once we get you inside, you'll feel better?"

"HALT!"

Krory screams as the Black Order Gate springs to life revealing the same exaggerated face with bulging white eyes Allen and I had encountered when we first arrived at the Order.

"PREPARE FOR THE ENTRANCE EXAM!

The Gate then opens its mouth and shines a blinding gold light in Krory's face. He staggers back, shielding his eyes. "What is it doing?"

"It's just a quick test," I assure him, "He scans your body to make sure you're not an Akuma; it's just a precaution."

The light suddenly fades, and an alarm sounds as the Gate screams: "FAILURE! FAILURE! A PENTACLE HAS BEEN DETECTED! HE'S AN AKUMA; HE MUST BE ONE OF THE MILLENNIUM EARL'S HENCHMAN!"

"What?" Allen and Lavi both cry.

I groan, "Oh great; here we go again."

"AKUMA ALERT!" the Gate screeches as the alarm continues to blare.

"Allen? Cas? Why's the alarm going off?" Lenalee's voice calls over the loudspeaker.

"I don't understand how this could happen," Allen exclaims in utter bewilderment.

My eyes suddenly widen in realization. "It's possible the blood he took from Eliade is still in his system; that could be what's causing the alarm."

"My poor Eliade," Krory whimpers, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Destroy the Akuma!" Komui's voice sings out just as a gigantic mechanical behemoth leaps down from the roof of the Black Order and lands in our paths.

We all stagger back as a creature I thought I'd only ever see again in my nightmares fills our view.

"No way," I whisper.

"It's impossible," Allen adds.

"What is that?" Krory cries.

"Sir. Komlin!" Allen and I both exclaim as the gigantic robot fills our view.

"The fourth!" Komui adds, stepping into view beside his monstrous creation, "I supped up his circuits and even added an Akuma-detector to boot! The moment he detects an Akuma, he will stop at nothing until its destroyed!" He cackles gleefully as his menacing creation takes a step closer to Krory, who shrieks and ducks behind me.

"Use your eyes, brother!" Lenalee yells over the intercom, "Allen, Cas, and Lavi are with him!"

"Oh?" Komui leans forward in surprise as if he's just noticed us.

Allen waves. "Hey, Komui."

"Yes, of course. This is the Akuma-vampire Bookman spoke to me about," the chief surmises, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he examines Krory more closely.

"Introducing Aryster Krory," Allen declares.

"I see," Komui casts a glance at his robot, "It would have been in your best interest to tell me this sooner."

"Target confirmed!"

We all gasp at the robot leers down at us menacingly, its single red eye flashing over us.

"What do you mean?" I demand.

"Once Sir. Komlin has detected a target, he will not cease until it's destroyed," Komui explains simply.

Suddenly, Sir. Komlin raises one of its arm, a razor blade poking out of the end.

"Aaaahhh!" Lavi, Allen, Krory, and I all scatter as the robot slams its sharpened appendage into the dirt, scattering dust and knocking us all off our feet.

It pulls the arm from the ground and strikes again, just narrowly missing my face and knocking me into Allen, who activates his Innocence and pushes me off him.

Krory scampers towards the trees, cowering. "What is that thing? It's so scary!"

Allen grits his teeth, "Alright, Komui. Take this!"

He shapes his arm into a gun and fires it at Sir. Komlin. However, the robot's chest opens and out pops a snaky hand and a frying pan, which deflects the glowing bullets.

Komui smirks, "Allen, I've been researching you and your techniques. Let's see if you can handle _this_."

Sir. Komlin then retracts the pan and sets it on an oven built into its chest; it ignites and then two more arms dispel eggs and salt, boiling them thoroughly.

As I stare at it, wondering if my tobacco might have gone bad, Sir. Komlin produces an omelet the size of a mattress.

"Ta da!"

Komui cackles. "Belive it or not, Sir. Komlin's cooking skills are on a level so elite, you'll salivate."

"Wait. I don't get it," Allen says.

"Watch this!" Lavi hollers before Komui can respond, jumping into the air, "Big Hammer, Little Hammer: Grow, Grow-BANG!

Sir. Komlin had slid his omelet onto a plate before whacking Lavi with the empty frying pan. The young Bookman groans, his Weapon falling from his grasp as he lands on the omelet.

"What the hell?" his words are cut off as he's absurdly drowned in a mountain of ketchup and vegetables.

"And today Chef Komlin has prepared Mediteranian omlette with veggies and Lavi."

"You are out of your mind!" Lavi shrieks, shaking his tomato-covered fist.

"Yep, my tobacco definitely went bad," I proclaim.

"Now, Sir Komlin IV, on to the next dish!" Komui commands.

The robot bellows in response before charging after me, Krory, and Lavi.

We scream and bolt down the path as the robot barrels after us. Its chest opens again to produce a gigantic salt shaker.

A moment later, it's snowing salt as it dumps it all around us.

"A pinch of salt!" Komui sings.

"Gah! It's in my eyes," Krory cries.

"Hold still!" I yell as my Blood explodes out like a pair of wings, melting into my cloak and encircling the three of us like a shield.

"What do we do?" I hiss once we're protected.

"I don't know," Allen replies frantically while Krory bawls.

"Don't forget to add the oil!" Komui croons.

The ground is suddenly too slick.

"Gah!" I lose my balance and flop onto the cobblestones, my Blood collapsing around me.

Krory and Allen try to run but don't get very far as they collapse into puddles of olive oil.

Sir. Komlin slides across the oil slick, expertly scooping each of us up in his gigantic frying pan. He tosses us lightly like pancakes on a griddle. We flop and flip up and down like the world's worst carnival ride.

"How shall we cook them? Boiled? Sautéed? Deep fried?" Komui cackles evilly, "So many possibili-CLONK!

"Alright," Lenalee declares, slowly lowering her leg from her brother's head, "This ends now!"

In a burst of bright green light, her Dark Boots activate, and she leaps into the air, kicking up a tornado of wind.

It collides with the robot in a burst of lightning and wind causing the creation to be lifted off its feet and careened over the side of the cliff where it exploded.

Lenalee then strides over to where Allen, Krory, and I are lying in a puddle of olive oil and seasonings.  
"Mr. Krory, I deeply apologize for my brother's misgivings. He can get carried away sometimes."

Krory trembles, whimpering feebly, "I don't think I'm going to like the Black Order."

I sit up, groaning and coughing heavily; my chest is killing me.  
"Three things!" I announce, holding my hand aloft, "Food, sleep, smoke. Not necessarily in that order."  
I then flop back down.

* * *

"So, do you like your room?" I stand in the doorway of the quarters set aside for Krory.

The young man stands in the center of the space, turning around once on the spot.

"It's kind of small."

I laugh. "Well, I suppose in comparison to the lavish halls of your old Castle it is," I observe as I slip past him and move over to the mirror. "But I prefer to think of it as 'cozy'." I add, blowing at the dust covering the glass causing it to leap up in a large grey cloud.  
I sneeze. "Ugh, that was a bad idea."

When the dust clears, I catch a glimpse of Krory looking intently at me in our reflections.  
"Are you okay?" I ask him. "Komui and Hevlaska weren't too rough on you, were they? All Exorcists go through it, and it wasn't necessarily a picnic for Allen and me."

"I was just thinking about what you said, about that girl you loved," Krory replies quietly, "Do you still love her? Even now, even after everything that's happened?"

I smile sadly, recalling Emma's coffee brown eyes and how they shined when she smiled.

"There's an old saying," I remark, turning back around to face Krory, "No one falls in love by choice, it is by chance. No one stays in love by chance, it is by work, and no one falls out of love by chance, it is by choice." I step closer to Krory and place a hand on his shoulder, "If you choose to remember the best of Eliade and the love you had together than it will always be there to strengthen you, and it will always be alright."

Krory smiles down at me wistfully.  
"Thank you, Cas."

"Of course," I then stand on tip toe to wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Krory gasps quietly as my chest touches his.  
"Cas, you don't…"

He trails off as I press a finger to his lips.

"Shhh." I wink mysteriously before taking his hand and pulling him towards the door, "Now come on, there's a surprise waiting for you in the cafeteria."

* * *

Krory gasps when we enter the large dining room to find the entire Black Order gathered in the center of the space under a large sign that read 'Welcome Aryster Krory'.

Krory froze on the doorstep, in complete and utter shock.  
"Come on," I urge gently, pulling him into the room.

"You alright there, Fang-boy?" Lavi calls jokingly, "You look a little pale."

"What is all this?" Krory finally finds his voice.

"It's a party for you, of course," I reply.

"Everyone pitched in to help officially welcome you," Allen adds as he and Lenalee step forward.

Krory's bottom lip trembles, "All this…for me?"

Off the side, I notice Reever, who's downing beer in the corner, suddenly shriek when he notices a very tiny version of Sir. Komlin scuttling around the room.

"Chief!" he cries, rushing over to Komui, who's vigorously gnawing on a turkey leg, "Are you sure we can be in the same room as that thing?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Komui insists, "I rebuilt Sir. Komlin IV to be a cleaning bot. See? It's awesome."  
He then throws the turkey bone in the robot's direction.

"Trash. To be cleaned," the tiny machine chirps as it sweeps up the discarded marrow.

"Here," Lenalee redirects my attention as she holds out a coffee mug with _Aryster Krory_ printed on the side, "A custom coffee mug just for you."

"Thank you, Ms. Lenalee," Krory gushes, blushing furiously.

"It's a herbal tea," Allen explains, "Made with a special formula to help us relax."

"I could use some tea right now," I murmur, thumping my chest.  
 _Man, my throat's killing me._

"I can't believe you'd do all this for me," Krory exclaims.

"Well of course," I reply as Allen hands me my own mug of tea, "Your family now, and we're all happy to have you staying with us."

"Welcome home, Krory!" Lenalee cheers and the rest of the room follows suit.

The faux-vampire looks at all of us in utter disbelief, tears falling thickly from his eyes, but there isn't a trace of misery in them.  
These are tears of joy.  
"It's good to be home," Krory says, sniffing loudly.

"Come on now," Lavi places a hand on his shoulder, "Let's enjoy your party."

Komui raises his beer mug, "Three cheers for the Black Order European Branch's newest member: Aryster Krory!"

"Hip Hip Horray!" the room sings out in a chorus.

"Hip-" I start to join in but my words catch in my throat as a violent coughing rips from my mouth. I clutch at my throat, feeling like it's on fire as my mug falls from my hand and spills all over the tiny Sir. Komlin, who explodes.

Everyone looks over at the noise.

"Cas, are you okay?" Allen rushes over, Lenalee close behind.

I try to respond, tell them I'm fine, but the words I want to say are lost amidst more coughing. I can't stop, I can barely breath.

I clutch my throat, my chest heaving as I drop to one knee.

Allen genuflects beside me. "Cas, talk to me."

"Is she choking? Brother, come over and help us!"

"Cas, hold on."

* * *

"Well, you have a small lung infection," Komui finally announces, perusing the results of the various tests he'd performed on me, "Which I suppose is understandable if the description of your injuries Bookman gave me are any indication."

From my position lying prone on the examination table in the medical ward, looking up at the mercury lights, I shrug simply.  
"Oh? Is that all?"

"What do you mean 'is that all'?" Allen cries from his is spot in a chair by the door, and Lenalee beside him looks equally concerned.

"Well, we don't necessarily know what this means," Komui calmly explains, "Cas's biology is very different from a typical human's after all."

"It means nothing," I assert, slowly sitting up and swinging my legs over the side of the table despite my head spinning and my body aching all over. "Remember what I told you about the tuberculosis, Allen?"

The boy nods, recalling it, and he looks somewhat calmer.

"Well, all the same, you're sick Cas, and running quite the high fever," Komui continues, "Therefore, I prescribe a few days bed rest, plenty of liquids, and soft foods. Alright?"

"Sounds good."

"And no smoking."

"Fuck."

"C'mon," Allen rolls his eyes as he moves over to me and throws my left arm over his shoulder, Lenalee going to do my right.

"Let's get you to bed."

"Thanks guys."

Lenalee smiles sweetly, "Of course."

As the two help me back to my room, I once again find myself believing there's a large black butterfly sitting on the windowsill.

* * *

A/N: Tyki, Tyki, Tyki, Tyki! Sorry…favorite Noah, much excitement.  
To quote Taylor Swift: "He's so bad, but he does it so well."  
*Tchau: Bye in Portuguese  
Anyways, I really love writing Cas and Krory together, when this story was in the works, I noticed the similarities between their characters, which was completely unintentional, and how they had different ways dealing with losing someone. It's a fun and interesting dynamic. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed.  
Also the next chapters a bit of a surprise so stay tuned:)


	21. Chapter 21

From: ShadowKat  
Q: TykiTykiTykiTykiTykiTYKITYKI!  
Also my favorite Noah! He's had my heart ever since I first saw him XD I also love Rhode 3  
I love the fact that Cas stole that kiss from Tyki, and that he kissed back! *giddy squeal* Poor Allen got jealous.  
Cas is rounding out nicely. I don't know what plans you have, but I would like to see some parallel subplots where Cas isn't with Allen and the main characters, but with some other less known characters ;)

A: Yep, Cas is an intense flirt (but we kinda already knew that):) And yes, Tyki is immensely attractive. As for Cas interacting with other characters aside from Allen, there will be instances of that in the near future (these next two chapters as a matter of fact) so I hope you enjoy that.

From: FALLING-ANGEL24  
Q: Wow...just wow. This is the second story ever on this website for DGM that I truly love. You've completely exceeded my expectations! I am completely in love with Cas :D  
I can't wait for future chapters!

A: Awww! Thanks so much. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

From: NachtNight  
Q: Who ship TykiCas? *raise a hand* WHO SHIP TYKICASALLEN?  
A: Yeah, I'm pretty much on board that ship too. Idk what a good shipping name would be though.  
Cas/Allen would be like 'Callen' or something, but I don't know what Cas/Tyki would be.

From: hannahjoma  
Q: I love this story. Update please  
A: Will do:)

From: Cupcake  
Q: Wow great story please add another  
A: Sure thing;)

From: Tsukiyomi-Hio  
Q: I'm a little surprised Cas doesn't recognize the name Tyki Mikk since its associated with Road. But I liked the scene with the two of them and can't wait for the next chapter!  
A: Well, I don't really think Cas would make the connection between the two as Road and Tyki don't share the same last name and their relation is through Tyki's brother and Road's adoptive father Sheril who doesn't show up for a while yet, but Cas puts two and two together in another area later on (Let's just say she never forgets a face) Yeah, I enjoy that scene too. I actually wrote it separate from the chapter a while back while I sitting bored in class.

From: KijoKuroi  
Q: Okay so I just finished gunning your story and I love it so much. Poor jealous Allen needs a kiss though, I feel like he's earned it lol :). And I definitely love and hate Tyki at the same time, but as I'm only 3/4 of the way done with season one that might change. I dunno. But I'm a sucker for a handsome complicated villain, so... Anyways! Love Cas, she's totally awesome and a very good character. I'm so glad I clicked on this! :D  
A: Well, maybe Allen will get a kiss, maybe he won't :P And I too am a sucker for handsome complicated villains. Miss Fire Bird loves her bad boys:) I'm glad you're enjoying Cas and I'm also very happy you clicked on this!

From: Guest  
Q: omg I love it all! more3  
A: Will do:)

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know I said I wasn't going to do this arc, but I thought of a way to make it relevant.  
Basically: Cas and Kanda. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 21: The Millennium Swordsman

* * *

Fever dreams suck.

I'm stumbling through a humid haze, my feet feeling like they're dragging through wet cement.

In the distance, my grandmother's voice comes rolling across the boiling waters.

 _This story takes place one thousand years ago during the Roman Empire. The ruler of this civilization, the Caesar had a beautiful daughter named Sandra._

I'm suddenly eight years old again, sitting in my grandmother's rose garden. There's a breeze, carrying the lemony scent of the grass through the air as the blades tickle my fingertips.

Emma is beside me, pulling them apart. She taps my shoulder, giggling as she blows into a piece of grass and a high-pitched squeak comes out the end like a tiny whistle.

We both burst out laughing.

 _Girls, pay attention. This is important._

We both fall silent again.

 _By the time Sandra had turned sixteen years old, the beauty of the girl was already being discussed throughout the kingdom, and great swarms of men began arriving from all parts of the land like Greece and the Orient, crossing over oceans and mountains to ask for the princess's hand in marriage._

I rise to my feet, brushing loose strands of my choppy hair out of my eyes as I stoop an exaggerated bow. _My lady, I have come from a faraway land to ask for you, the most beautiful girl in the world, to be my wife,_ I say to Emma.

She giggles, and my grandmother smiles slightly over the rim of the large book she's reading from.  
 _However, no matter how fervent or noble the offer was, the princess would not accept. Despite this, her suitors would not be deterred, and so Sandra finally decreed…_

Emma jumps to her feet, pumping her fist in the air: _I will only be the wife of the strongest man in the world!_

My grandmother nods. _Then, to test their strength, the princess ordered her suitors fight Victorio, the swordsman who protected her family._

At this, I dove into the brambles of a bush and produced a crude wooden sword slapped together from pieces of leftover timber.

 _Victorio!_ Emma calls to me as I hold the faux weapon aloft. _Protect me, and fight my suitors._

I then race around the garden, slashing the sword through the air, jabbing and slicing at invisible foes, making enemies of the thorns and velvet flowers of the rosebushes.

Emma jumps up and down, cheering me on as my grandmother continues to read.

 _Victorio fought over and over, battling men from across the globe who swaggered into the arena, confident in their skills, and he never lost._

In a phony rage, I throw my sword into the dirt. _Is there no man strong enough to challenge me?!_

Emma runs forward. _Victorio, I don't want to be married off to some suitor from a distant land. I only want to be with young._

She tackles me to the ground, laughing wildly as her honey brown hair falls loose from her bun and dances through the air, mixing with the flyaway rose petals.

We roll about, hooting with laughter as my grandmother turns the page.  
 _These battles continued, even after Princess Sandra took ill and passed away._

Emma gives a gasp, clutching her chest as she dramatically falls to the ground and lies still, mud splattering the edges of her burgundy dress.

 _Princess Sandra!_ I wail, dropping to my knees before her prone form. I then grasp my sword and hold the wooden weapon over her 'mostly' motionless body. _I swear: not even in death may a man have you._

Emma snickers, breaking character, which causes me to laugh as well.

 _You make a good swordsman, Cas._

 _And you make a good princess, Emma._

 _There is one thing the story doesn't say, Ms. Williams,_ Emma adds to my grandmother, _Did Victorio ever lose?_

My grandmother shakes her head. _No. According to the legend, the fights continued on and on, they outlasted Princess Sandra, they outlasted her family, they outlasted the Roman Empire itself. In fact, it is said that the battle cries of the matches between Victorio and the suitors can still be heard throughout the Coliseum even to this day._

Thunder suddenly rumbles above our heads. I glance upwards as a raindrop alights on my nose.

Strange. We're not expecting any rain today.

But that doesn't stop the sky from opening up, and the drops keep falling, icy against my skin. My hair sticks to my eyes, and I reach up to pry it away.

I look around, shocked as the water pours around me. The scene has changed; Emma and my grandmother are gone as is the rose garden. I'm kneeling in the middle of a ruined structure. The rocks are blackened with age, the building withered and decrepit, stripped away piece by piece by the hands of time.

The rain falls thick and fast, creating a grey veil that is almost impossible to see through. It casts long shadows across the ruins, but out of the darkness two figures melt into clarity.

My eyes widen. _Kanda?_

He draws his sword as the other man draws his.  
 _By order of Princess Sandra, I will fight you!_

The thunder sounds again as lightning breaks through the storm.

Kanda rushes forward as does the other man, and the storm echoes the crash of their blades connecting.

The noise is deafening in my ears, loud and clear as though I'm there in that moment.

Quick as a lightning strike, I'm gone and awake.

My eyes snap open with a slight gasp. I feel freezing and confused.

Something falls beside me. I turn my head, the pillow moist with sweat beneath my cheek to see Allen staggering towards the door. On my bedside table sits a tray with a generous helping of food on it.

I smile. "Allen, you have all the stealth capacity of a bull in a China shop."

The boy freezes inches from the door. "I-I'm sorry, Cas. I didn't mean to wake you up," he cries, spinning back around, blushing furiously.

"Don't worry about it," I reply dismissively as I slowly sit up, cautious of the dull ache in my chest.

Fucking lung infection.

"How are you feeling?" Allen inquires, walking back over to me.

Did he hear me wince?

"Fine," I reply flatly, slightly embarrassed myself as I reach for the tray and pick up a piece of wheat toast. I wrinkle my nose; I hate wheat toast. "So, are you leaving today?" I inquire as I heap a generous helping of butter onto the offending item.

Allen nods. "Yep, Lavi and I are taking Krory on his first assignment this afternoon. I think Bookman might be coming along too."

I nod, trying not to look disappointed.

"Sorry you can't come Cas."

"So am I," I reply simply, spooning eggs onto the already heavily buttered toast, "But I'm sick, and Komui would have my head on a pike if I left this bed even for an instant." I then take a generous bite of the now heaping concoction.

"I can tell its driving you crazy."

"It wouldn't be so bad if my dreams wouldn't leave me the hell alone."

Allen looks momentarily disturbed. "Are you still having that one…about me?"

Thankfully not.

"Not for a while yet," I reply, smirking as I tap him on the nose. "Probably because I've got the real thing around now."

Allen flushes again. He's so cute when he does that.  
"I doubt that's the reason."

"All the same, you should be getting along. Don't want to keep the Bookmen waiting."

Allen grimaces. "I think Krory would rather I take my time. He's a little nervous."

I sigh inwardly. I wish I could be there for the big guy. I hope everything goes smoothly. Lord knows Lavi and Allen could get themselves killed if I'm not around (Whether by an Akuma or Bookman, whichever happens first).

"I suppose anyone would be," I finally say. "All the same, you've gotta catch that train."

Allen's shoulders slump. "Fine."

"Thanks for taking care of me," I call as he turns to leave.

"Thanks for not dying on me," he replies with a cheeky grin as he closes the door behind him.

I laugh at that, shaking my head. God, I love that kid.

* * *

Two days later, I'm back at hundred percent…and bored out of my fucking mind.

Allen and Lavi were still in Spain with Krory and Bookman, Lenalee was in France, and Kanda was…somewhere.

As I muck around Headquarters in a pair of pink bunny slippers I had 'borrowed' from Komui while I'd been sick, I find, as evidenced by the discomforting gnawing in the pit of my stomach that I _missed_ everyone.

While this realization might have been a typical response to the extended absence of a group of people you'd shared many a life-threatening experience with and grown attached to during these instances, for me it wasn't necessarily the norm.

And this revelation kind of terrified me to be honest. I hadn't really missed another living being in a long ass time.

I practically threw myself at Komui's feet, bunny slippers and all, when he summoned me to his office for an assignment briefing.

I can't be left alone with my thoughts for a minute longer. I'll probably drive myself even crazier than I already am.

My elation is short-lived when I'm given the full details of my assignment.

My jaw drops in spite of myself. "Kanda is _missing_?"

"I'm afraid so." Komui nods, pushing his glasses further up his nose.

"Wasn't his last assignment in Rome?"

"That's right. Innocence was discovered in ruins just outside the city, but it's been over a week now since we've had any contact with either Kanda or the Finder that was sent with him. Many Akuma have been reported around the Coliseum which was there last confirmed location, so only an Exorcist would be able to move in safely. I'd like to send you. Do you think you're up to the task, Cas?"

"Definitely," I reply eagerly.

* * *

The moment I get into the gondola that's going to take me out of the Order compound and into the village below to catch the train, did I realize that this was the first assignment I'd be on going alone.

I suppose the basic black golem flittering around beside me was enough of an indication. Since Allen wasn't coming with me, I wouldn't have Timcampy to piggy back on so I needed my own golem.

As I sat on the train winding south through England, I try not to focus on the blank golem staring at me with its empty black and white eye.

I name it Betty to make myself feel better.

As Betty finally alights on the windowsill to conserve energy, I'm able to refocus on the file I'd been given by Reever containing further details on my location and Kanda's mission before mine.

The train whistle sounds over my head as I flip through the pages. My eyes widen in surprise, "A Roman soldier that's still alive? That sounds like Lala, that doll from Mater."

I glance up, my heart sinking in spite of myself as my eyes rest on the empty seat beside me that Allen had so frequently occupied.

The moustached gentlemen in the booth in front of me glances over his shoulder, giving me a funny look.

I smile nervously, shrinking down in my seat as I bury my face in the file.

 _So, I guess the assumption to be made here is that the Innocence is allowing the soldier to live this long. I wonder if it could even do such a thing. I suppose if he's an Accommodator…Wait a minute._

I tense, suddenly remembering the dream I'd had while I'd been sick two days ago. The legend of the Swordsman Victorio that my grandmother used to read to me and Emma when we were kids, the man that had fought for millennia to protect the princess Sandra. Then how that dream had melted into an image of Kanda fighting a shadowed opponent in ancient ruins, going sword to sword.

I may believe in miracles, but not coincidences.

Continuing through the file, I learn that Akuma had only started appearing in the area around the Roman Coliseum about a month ago and that, strangely, none of them that had entered the ruins had ever came out again. _I wonder if they could have been defeated by the swordfighter using Innocence? I suppose it's a possibility._

* * *

Rome had always been on my bucket list, or more specifically the Vatican, but I'd take the capitol of the former greatest civilization in the history of mankind. The streets are bustling with activity, the crowds press in around me as I expertly wind through the throng, my senses slightly overwhelmed. The market is a mass of dozens of amazing things to buy, eat, and wear. My nose tingles as I detect the dozens of delectable meals up for sale, and I can't help salivating slightly.

"Out of my way!" My head jerks to my left in time to see a burly man with a piece of wheat sticking out of his mouth shove a grubby looking boy into a puddle. The kid falls into the murky water with a cry. "That's what you get for standing around like a punk," the man spat.

The boy scrambles to his feet, whimpering as he sprints off. A few other men that are standing near a fruit stand laugh at his expense. My eyes narrow slightly when I see that they're each tightly gripping a musket. Each of the weapons are shiny and well-polished which means they were in frequent use.

At my elbow, a fat man with a pudgy nose snatches a piece of beef right from the skillet of a butcher's shop.  
"Um, excuse me," the man timidly whispers.

"Don't worry, old man; I'll pay you back when I get my reward."

"I heard that!" a scrawny fellow barks at a shorter, stouter character, brandishing his musket in his face. "You want to say that a little louder next time, you coward?"

"Try me, bitch," the other man snaps.

What's with all the gun totting dickheads loitering around Rome? Is there some meet and greet I wasn't aware of?

"If they're so bent on fighting, I wish they'd do us all a favor and kill each other," a voice says from behind me.

I turn to see a with a tanned, ruddy faced man partially marred by a dark eye patch standing directly behind me.  
"This is a gathering of bounty hunters," he answers my unspoken question, "We're all here because the Sardini family put out the call to anyone that could help find their missing daughter."

I raise an eyebrow. "A local girl is missing?"

"You mean you haven't heard?"

"I'm not exactly from around here."

The man sizes me up. "I suppose I could have assumed that."

I guess I'm a little flasher than usual today, choosing to wear a red-pinstriped suit under my Exorcist cloak with a purple cravat and matching purple gloves. The hair in front of my ears is braided on each side and tied together behind my head.

"Anyway, the Sardini's sixteen-year-old daughter was abducted from their residence about three nights ago. The man who took her identified himself as 'Victorio'."

My eyes widened. "Victorio?"

Well, it seems like I have myself a lead without even trying, what uncharacteristically good luck.

Shame I only have Betty to share my good fortune with.

I eye the golem with slight unease as a man on horseback suddenly appears out of the crowd.  
"Your attention, please," he calls to the group of bounty hunters, "Please make your way to the Sardini residence. The Viscount Paletti will give instructions on those who wish to receive a sizeable reward."

Almost immediately the crowd of brutes presses forward, swiftly and silently following the announcer along the main road of the market. The throng of shoppers parts to allow them to pass, not wishing to tangle with the disagreeable bunch.

 _Well, what's the harm_ , I think to myself, pulling my collar up further as I step into the wave of hired men and follow the crowd towards the Sardini Estate.

* * *

By the time we reach the home of the Sardini family, night has fallen. We're all ushered into the courtyard where a group of maids are awaiting with roaring fires for warmth and heaps of food for nourishment. The men dig in heartily, and the mood soon changes, guided by their full stomachs.

I stand off to the side, trying not to look conspicuous, which is difficult with my distinctive black and white cloak and buzzing golem.

I watch a few men stuffing their faces by a fire, gorging themselves on more than a few helpings while some more chuckle after a few of the younger, prettier maids. One of them pinches a passing raven-hair's ass, and she squeaks but doesn't look entirely unabashed.

What a lonesome bunch.

"Your food, dearie," an elderly cook with dimples hands me a bowl full of chicken, sausage, pasta, salad and bread.

"Uh, thanks." I accept the food and quickly dig in. Italian food. How could I say no?

I sit on a barrel in the corner of the courtyard just as the balcony overlooking the area suddenly opens, a yellow light stabs through the night air, shadowed by two figures stepping out onto the platform.

One is a gruff looking man with dark blonde hair and beard, the other is a lither fellow with hard-set eyes and a bushy moustache.  
"Brave searchers, forgive us for interrupting your meal," the latter of the two addresses the crowd, "But I ask for your attention, please; I'm sure you're all aware that Claudia Sardini, the daughter of the Sardini family, has been abducted by a thug who calls himself Victorio. Her father, who stands beside me, is obviously heartbroken. As an heir of the honored Paletti family, I hear by promise, on my family's name, the man who finds and rescues Claudia, my dear fiancée, from the detestable Victorio will be given one tenth of the Sardini fortune."

 _Fiancée_? I raise an eyebrow as those around me erupt into enthusiastic cheers. Evidently, it was a lot of cash. Regardless, the Viscount seems a little old to be marrying a sixteen-year-old. The ways of the upper class are often ostensibly creepy.

Up on the balcony, Mr. Sardini grabs Paletti's arm. "Viscount, how can you make such a proclamation without discussing it with me?"

The other man raises an eyebrow. "You surprise me, sir. I would have thought one tenth of your fortune would be nothing compared to your daughter's safety. As her loving father, I'm sure you don't count the cost."

Mr. Sardni scowls at him as the men continue to laugh and cheer heartily at the notion of the money they'd been promised.

Amidst the ruckus, I silently slip into the shadow of the large house. My Blood feathers out from beneath my sleeve, and I throw the tendril up onto the balcony just as Mr. Sardni and the Viscount disappear back inside.

As silently as I can, I hoist myself up onto the ledge and step onto the platform.

I then find myself standing on the threshold of a lavish sitting room, who's bright interior is slightly jarring after the shadowed courtyard.

A warm heat touches my cheeks from the flames of a roaring fire emitting from a carved fireplace.  
Mr. Sardini is standing before said fireplace, cradling a glass of scotch in his fist, his back to me as he examines a large painting hanging above the mantel. It depicts a young girl, with a slender, heart-shaped face framed by honey blonde hair.

It doesn't take a genius to assume that the painting is of Claudia Sardini, his missing daughter.

She looks a little like Emma.

Trying to ignore that abrupt observation, I step into the room just as Mr. Sardini turns away from the painting in apparent disgust.

"Claudia, how could I have raised such an ungrateful daughter?"

He stiffens when his eyes fall on me, his sneer evaporating into a look of surprise.

I raise a hand to silence his yet unspoken cry. "Chill. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"W-Who are you?" Mr. Sardini splutters, attempting to regain his composure.

"I'm an Exorcist of the Black Order," I reply, stepping fully into the room. "I've come seeking information."

Sardini raises an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, then have a seat."

He then collapses into a large red armchair beside the fire. I turn to close the balcony doors, dimming the raucous in the courtyard before sitting down on the couch opposite the wealthy man.

"I'm rather surprised at you, sir," I remark, crossing my legs and leaning back in my seat. "I wouldn't necessarily call a kidnapped victim 'ungrateful'."

"She wasn't kidnapped," Sardini insists.

I quick an eyebrow. "Oh? What makes you say that?"

"Because-." The man falters, seemingly losing his vigor, or perhaps about to disclose something he'd regret.

"Why don't you start at the beginning of all this?" I offer.

Sardini sighs. "It started about a month ago. My daughter said that a medieval-looking swordsman had appeared before her in her bedroom; it had sounded so ludicrous that I had decided she'd been dreaming. But then she-Well, she simply wouldn't stop talking about this man, and his 'reports' to her each night or some such thing."

I raise an eyebrow as I reach for the bottle of scotch resting on the coffee table and pour myself my own glass. "Reports?" I ask, taking a swig as I lean back in my seat.

"Yes, she claimed he would kneel at her bedside and say the same words every night: 'the world's strongest man has yet to appear, my lady'."

I sip my drink thoughtfully. Yep, that seems to fit the bill of the legend of the Millennium Swordsman.

"I'll admit, I lost my temper with her," Sardini continues, "I told her to stop spouting this nonsense, but she swore up and down that she was telling the truth, and then, three days ago, on the very day her engagement to the Viscount Paletti was finalized…" He broke off, allowing me to put the final pieces together.

I nod in understanding as he hangs his head, sighing heavily. "What could that girl have possibly been thinking?"

"My thoughts exactly: what could be going through Claudia's head right now?"  
Sardini and I whirl around just as Paletti steps into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Viscount!" the former exclaims in surprise. "I was just recounting some of the details-" he gestures to me, but the other nobleman cuts him off.

"Once we are married, the Sardini family, born of merchants and tradesman, will become the relations of nobility and will finally be embraced by upper-class society, when Claudia submits to our wishes."

Submits? I scowl, _A cute choice of words._

"Son in law, I still object to the way you're handling this," Sardini exclaims, jumping to his feet. "Claudia ran away from home, it's that simple. Either that, or she was tricked into leaving by this fool calling himself Victorio. Gathering these hunters and offering a reward was unnecessary; I'm sure our local police-."

"I hope you're not worried, sir," Paletti interrupts, his voice cold. "The last thing I want to do is waste hard earned money. And speaking of money, isn't it true that those who are fortunate such as lottery winners are often the envy of those who seem to have no luck."

My brow furrows at his remark, serpentine as it was. The outwardly offhanded words seem to be burrowing into some kind of personal meaning for Sardini.

His glowering confirms my assumptions.

"You're very successful," Paletti continues, "I'm sure you've experienced ill-will from those who struggle…more in life."

Sardini grits his teeth. I calmly sip my drink, the ice clinking rather loudly in the otherwise silent room.

Paletti glances at me. "And who is this young woman who seems to enjoy glaring at us so?" His face curls into a sneer as he continues to survey me, "That is a _woman_ , isn't it?"

My only response is to down the rest of the drink, trying not to let his comment get to me.

"She claims affiliation with the Black Order," Sardini speaks for me.

"Did you request for them to come?" Paletti inquires.

"No, of course not."

"Very well, if a patron of the illustrious Black Order is willing to step in to help us, perhaps the bounty hunters are unneeded." He then turns to me, "Please use-."

He stops when I get to my feet. I'm taller than him, which is comforting as I stare the nobleman down.  
"I never said I'd be helping you, Viscount," I declare coldly, "I simply came here seeking information. And tell me something, would you?" My lips curl into a venomous smirk. "If Claudia is so important to you, what's stopping you from looking for her yourself. It seems you care more about the _idea_ of Claudia and the money and status she might bring you both then the flesh and blood she actually is."

Paletti splutters furiously at my words but can't seem to form any of his own. Sardini, meanwhile, hangs his head, his expression unreadable as he stares at his shoes.

I sigh, shaking my head as I set the empty scotch glass down on the table. "Thanks for the drink. I'll be going now."

With that, I turn from two men and stalk out of the room.

* * *

After leaving the Sardini residence, I find an inn to at least get a few hours of sleep. Betty the golem zips around the room above my head as I hang my now dampened suit up to dry (I'd forgotten to bring a change of clothes so I'd have to wear it again tomorrow).

Pulling my hair into a low ponytail, I clamber onto the bed and light my pipe on the flickering candle on the table beside it.

I sigh, flopping down on the pillows as I puff my pipe, staring up at Betty revolving around the ceiling.  
"I can't believe after all that I didn't find out anything about Kanda, or anything more on Victorio," I grumble to myself, blowing smoke out from between my lips. Betty gets caught in the drag and splutters, spinning through the air as it tries to get free of the smoke.

I laugh slightly. That tiny creature's my only company.

My smile falters at the notion. Why did being alone bother me so much now? I'd spent the better part of the last three years traveling England all by myself with only the occasional visits to Master Hermenshire, the blind former Order member who'd trained me.

Perhaps I really have gotten too attached to the Order and the people in it. I try not to think about it as I roll over onto my side, staring out the window at the dimming lights of the city.

 _I wonder if Claudia really did run away from home_ , I muse to myself as I blow more smoke from my lips. _I suppose it would make sense she'd feel the need considering how her supposed family members were talking about her._ I shiver slightly, _I know what it's like to have people who are supposed to love you unconditionally force you to be something you're not.  
_ "Although, I suppose it's interesting," I add aloud to no one in particular. Betty, who'd alighted on the bedpost, eyes me oddly. "I mean, Claudia disappeared a month ago, and the report said that was also when Akuma started appearing around the Coliseum. There's bound to be a connection there. I bet-."  
I break off, stifling a yawn. "Ah, well. I suppose I'll just have to find out in the morning."

I put my pipe out on my forearm before blowing out my candle. I curl up onto my side once more, pulling my knees into my chest as I close my eyes and try to ignore the hollow feeling in my chest.

First stop tomorrow: The Roman Coliseum.

* * *

The grey light of early morning settled a misty pallor across the scape of the ruins, the grand arena was a bulky, dark shape rising out of the dew-filled air.

Everyone seemed to have had the same idea as me. I spy a huge pack of bounty hunters trudging across the plain towards the lone shape of the Coliseum as I scramble down into the valley, my feet slipping slightly on the uneven ground.

The mist refuses to lift, even by the time I made onto even ground.

No one seems to move past that point, everyone had stopped at an undisclosed distance from the ruins, muskets held at the ready, a few men even wheeling forward a cannon, but no one dares to enter. It's as though they're waiting for something.

Finally, the spell is broken as the mist lifts with the sun and one of the hunters bolts into the ruins.  
"Let me through. I'm going to get the reward."

As if a rope has been snapped, all of the other men barrel forward as well.

"Where is he?"

"Come out and fight, Victorio!"

"I'm going to find, Claudia!"

I move to follow but freeze as a dark shape passes over my head. I glance up to see the sky is alive with Level I AKuma, all of them flying towards the Coliseum and the dozens of men now crawling about inside.

"Oh no," I breath before sprinting the rest of the way towards the ancient arena.

My feet have barely changed from stone to the sand of the Coliseum floor when the first of the explosions go off.

Screams of pain and terror echo throughout the ruins as the Akuma start firing on the helpless humans.

"What are those things?"

"What's happening?"

Screams, cries, gunfire on both sides. I smell blood leaking into the stones as I scale a wall and come up on the second floor just in time to see the eye-patched bounty hunter I'd met yesterday erupt into purple flames as a barrage of venomous bullets strikes his body.

His charred corpse falls to the ground as an Akuma hovers over him.

Blood erupts from under my fingers, hardening into a spiked claw as I rush forward, leaping off the edge of the platform. With a cry, I slice through the Akuma's bloated flesh, and it explodes in a shower of ash.

Another swerves and fires on me as soon as I hit the ground. I roll to the side to escape the bullets as they pepper the sand. A man at a vantage point is hit and explodes, taking out half the second floor with him.

I scramble to my feet. "Everyone. Get out of here!" I holler to the flailing crowd of hunters.

Several of them take my advice, streaking toward the exit.

"Damn the money!"

"It's not worth it."

An Akuma pounces on the escaping group.

"Oh no you don't!" Blood coats my hand and stretches outward, like an extended limb as it snags hold of the Akuma, stopping it in its tracks. I then throw it into another one, and they both explode.

I reform my Blood and allow it to run down my other arm, shaping two long claws as I race forward, slicing through Akuma after Akuma as more and more crawl from the ruins like roaches from a dead tree.

The sounds of them being destroyed are deafening, my ears are ringing as I cut one's head off, sending it spinning out of control. The large Akuma body hits the ground with deafening impact, knocking several hunters off their feet.

One of them turns to run just as another Akuma looms over him.

I hit the ground in time to turn and see it.

I start forward, but something snags my leg.  
"Wait. It's too late to save him! You have to save me!" I turn to see a bald bounty hunter with a bloody eye is desperately clutching my ankle.

"Get off me!" I spat as I shake from his grip and bolt towards the other man. A spear of Blood slices through the Akuma above him, taking out three others behind him.

Ash rains through the air like snow. My ears are ringing, filled to the brim with the sounds of screams and explosions. The scent of blood is salty in my mouth.

"Now men, take aim!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see several of the hunters wheeling in the cannon they brought.

"Fire!"

The revolving barrels rocket round after round at the Akuma, the bangs followed by the clinks of the harmless projectiles ricocheting off their metal bodies.

With a sigh, swing my arm and slice through three of the Akuma before they can retaliate.

A snarl in my ear, and I turn to see an Akuma's face leering down at me, far too close to comfort.

 _No!_ The word erupts in my mind as my reflexes stall, but the Akuma is suddenly torn in half and withers before my eyes.

I gasp, startled as the ash pools around me. Out of the smoke, I see my apparent savor step forward.

He's a massive man, nearly seven feet tall. His chest is bare and chiseled, well-tanned and covered in scars. He wears silver armor on his neck, arms, and shoulders. The former protection partially masks his face, so all that can be seen is a pair of black beady eyes and a mane of wild, burgundy hair.

In the man's hand is a gigantic silver and black sword, as long as my body which he holds aloft.

"I am Victorio, the Swordsman that serves the Caesar of Rome."

"That's him!" one of the bounty hunters yells. "We found him!"

Victorio snarls. "By order of Princess Sandra, I will fight you."

"Attack!" Yells the guy with the cannon, and his buddy starts spamming the trigger. Flares streak past my head, whipping my hair as they erupt before Victioro, covering his body in smoke and fire.

But it breaks way as the man lunges forward. With a cry, he slices through the very flames themselves and sends them hurtling back towards his assailants.

There's a scream and eruption of blood in my nose as the cannon and everyone around it is fried to ash.

I stand rooted to the spot, in utter shock and horror of the man before me.

It's really him: Victorio the Millennium Swordsman.

I squeeze my eyes shut, a bitter taste in my mouth as I clench my fists. Regardless of his strength, I have a job to do.

I start forward, but a familiar voice makes me stop cold.  
"No. You're not strong enough."

"Kanda!" The name leaves my mouth before I whirl around to see him standing at the ruin entrance. His expression is unreadable as he looks down at me, his sword Mugen clenched in his hand.

"You're fighting style is incompatible with his, and you lack proper technique," Kanda continues coldly as he strides into the arena. "This fighter is my prey. Don't intervene."

I'm struck dumb, for once without a witty retort as Kanda steps before the massive Victorio.

Just like the image in my dream.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," my fellow Exorcist addresses the Swordsman.

"I will fight you," Victorio bellows.

They move as one, lunging forward, and there's the loud crack of their swords clashing, followed by more as they strike each other again and again, each time one parries the other strikes, but is countered by his opponent.

"Ms. Williams!"  
I whirl around in time to see a squat man with a thick moustache and wearing a beige Finder's coat sprint towards me.

"I take it you're the Finder that was sent here with Kanda," I say as he stops in front of me.

"Yes, I'm Pedro," the man replies, slightly breathless.

"Are you alright?"

"Never mind about me," Pedro shakes his head. "Victorio's got Innocence."

My eyes widen in surprise as I glance over at Kanda battling the Millennium Swordsman.

"It's in the sword, isn't it?" I ask.

Pedro nods. "Yes, it's kept him alive for over a thousand years."

Kanda attacks him savagely, leaping agilely around his opponent's larger frame. Despite his quick feet, Victorio cannot be tripped up.

"Seems there pretty evenly matched," I remark. "I've never met anyone that could best Kanda's Mugen, but then again, I suppose Victorio's had a long time to practice."

Pedro nods solemnly. "They fought for two days straight, but then Akuma began appearing, so Victorio disappeared. Kanda's been sleeping for the last two days; the fight was exhausting, and he wanted to regain his strength."

I cross my arms. "Neither of them seems to be using the power of the Innocence."

"I believe that's a matter of pride and honor," Pedro explains, "They stopped using it on the second day of the fight."

"I see." I sigh, "Without my Anti-Akuma Weapon, I'm basically useless in battle, especially against a guy like that. I guess Kanda had a point in telling me to hold back."

Victorio strikes and Kanda dodges, lunging forward, and they cross swords. Standing still, stiffened by their own exertion. Kanda's face is towards me, and I see the sweat gleaming on his brow and the fire blazing in his black eyes like hot coals. The swords tremble between them.

There's a catch, a niche as Victorio gasps a breath. Kanda yells with a rage that I feel burning in my chest as the blade gleams through the air.

Stale, salty blood fills my nose, and I clap a hand over my mouth, gagging.

Blood spews out from a deep gash in Victorio's shoulder as he staggers back, weighed down by the blood pouring from his wound. He screams as he stands, stricken, his breathing shallow as crimson fluid coats his armor.

However, the air hitches in his throat, and a glow passes over his form.

My eyes grow wide as the wound abruptly closes, the shine erasing any indication it had ever been there, even repairing the armor.  
"The Innocence healed him!"

Victorio's sword swings out as Kanda jerks to react.

The air goes cold as the silent impact seems to make time go still. Kanda goes rigid, his eyes pale and wide as he freezes, trembling where he stands in ankle deep water.

I feel a fiery pain erupt in my hip, and realize what is happening maybe before Kanda even does.

He glances down to see the teeth of the massive blade are embedded deep in the side of his torso. His sweet blood flows outward as Kanda chokes, retching and the water around him turns red.

"Kanda!" the cry rips through my chest as I sprint forward without thinking.

Kanda crumples to the ground, his body hitting the freezing water. Before the ripples settle, Victorio dislodges his sword and raises it a second time.  
"You will die with honor."

The sword strikes and breaks flesh, the teeth tingle against my skin.

I look down and smile weakly, Blood trickling from my lip.

I'm between Kanda and Victorio, the latter's sword embedded deep in my stomach.

"Well, shit," I gasp before the sword slips from my body and I fall forward, the water cold against my burning skin.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Swordsman's Princess

* * *

My ears are ringing, and I hardly feel my body beneath me as I hoist myself to my feet. I stare up at Victorio's massive body, his black eyes are small, fierce, and oddly tired.

He regards me, his expression unreadable, partially shielded by his armor.

He raises the sword, and a part of me feels like I'm about to collapse.  
However, he simply flicks the blood from the blade and then turns.

"I do not fight women."

"Wha-?" I stagger to my feet, hand gripping my torso as I attempt to hold my intestines in.  
Victorio walks off, back towards the shadow of the ruins. "Hey wait! Get back here."

My body burns, and I'm stupidly angry as I stagger forward but barely make it two steps before I collapse to my knees in the puddle, hot fluid pooling in my fingertips.

"Damn it," I spat, Blood dribbling down my chin.

"Ms. Williams," I don't even hear Pedro until he's beside me.

"Never mind me, see if Kanda's alright," I yell at him furiously. Wordlessly, the Finder nods before turning and hurrying over to where he's lying on his side in a puddle of blood.

I close my eyes, trying to center myself as I feel my organs realigning, my Blood churning in my head as it sets about repairing me.  
I have enough strength to stand a moment later; still gripping my pelvis, I hurry over to where Pedro is crouched beside Kanda, having turned him on his back.

"There's a pulse," the Finder says to me as I genuflect next to him.

Kanda's face is ashen, his breathing come out in short, pained gasps. Gingerly, I turn him slightly towards me, the wound burns beneath my fingers, and Kanda cries out.

"Alright, that's bad," I declare. "We need to move this. Where are you staying?"

"In a home of an old widow on the edge of the city," Pedro hurriedly explains, "She's a patron of the Order, but what about Victorio?"

"I came here to find you and Kanda, not fight Victorio," I reply as I gather up Kanda in my arms, careful of his wound, "Now, help me with him."

Kanda groans loudly as Pedro and I move him into a sitting position. I keep my hand pressed to his torso in order to try and distill the bleeding.

"Easy, easy," I chide as Pedro slips. Kanda moans, his head slumping against my shoulder.

"I won't go back!"

The voice rings out so suddenly, I almost drop Kanda back into the puddle.

Pedro and I glance up to see a figure standing on the edge of the second floor of the Coliseum. She's wearing a burgundy shawl over her head, but I can just make out the familiar face I recall in painting form from above the Sardini fireplace.

"Claudia," I breathe.

The girl looks at me, her dark eyes hard. "No one can make me go back; you can try all you want, but I'm staying where I am. Please, give a message to my father and Paletti that I will never return."

With that, she turns and vanishes into the ruins.

"Wait!" I start forward, but Kanda hinders me. "Claudia, come back!"

But she's gone.

"Ms. Williams," Pedro starts.

I shake my head. "Right. Let's get going."

* * *

Getting to the widow's house was a struggle and a half. Kanda was dead weight, Pedro wasn't very strong, and I think I had internal bleeding.

Eventually, we managed to make it to the cozy little hovel. The woman in question who owned the space had a kind, dark face with warm brown eyes.

She set about immediately putting Kanda to bed and then off into the kitchen to make a meal for us.  
Pedro held Kanda down while I cleaned his wounds, making sure to get all the dirty water out of them.

It wasn't a pleasant experience, and I don't see how my mother could possibly do stuff like this every day.  
I suppose that explains why she's a completely nutty.

After a time, Kanda's wound was cleaned and dressed, and he'd been given herbs by the widow to knock him out.

I sat in a chair beside his bed in the widow's spare room, nursing a bowl of a hot food our hostess had prepared for me. Kanda lay as still as a corpse under the covers; his skin looks milky in the steadily encroaching darkness from outside. His face is still twisted into that scowl of his and sweat beads on his forehead.

Gingerly, I reach out with a cloth and gently dab away the moisture.  
He flinches, his eyes fluttering open.

"C-Cas?"

I smile, unable to contain my relief. "Hey, sunshine, welcome back to the land of the living."

"What hap-? Where's…?" Kanda bolts upright, but quickly recoils as his wounds strike him.

"Whoa, whoa take it easy," I hold out a hand to still him. "Dial it back, would you? Not only are you exhausted but you're also really hurt, or did you fail to notice that a piece of your torso is missing?"

Kanda looks down at the bandages wrapped around his waist as though he'd just noticed them.  
He then looks back at me, his face darkening as he slaps my arm away, "Would you stop fawning over me like I'm some helpless child?"

I scowl. "I don't know, Boy Toy, sometimes with the way you act I'd believe that you were."

"Shut your mouth, Nosebleed," Kanda snarls, combing his hand through his midnight blue hair, the strands having fallen loose from his ponytail.

I chuckle.

"What?" he spat

"You kind of look like a woman with your hair down."

Kanda growls.

I just grin. "Shit, I'm kind of into it."

Kanda looks at me like he's debating sticking me with his Mugen, but then his eyes fall on the bowl of lukewarm food resting on my lap. "What are you eating?"

"Huh?" I glance down at it, "Oh. I'm not really sure. It's sort of like spaghetti but also sort of like soup. Do you want some? I'll get it."

I set my own bowl aside and get to my feet to head back into the kitchen.

"What are you even doing here?"

Kanda's words make me pause with my hand on the doorknob.  
I whirl around, "Huh, a 'gee thanks for saving my life, Cas' seems a bit more appropriate right now."

Kanda rolls his eyes. "I didn't ask for your help."

I clench my fists. "Maybe not, but if I hadn't provided it, your insides would be all over the Coliseum right now!"

"I can take care of myself."

"Of all the-! You're a such a thick-headed son of a-" I turn and kick the door, hitting my big toe especially hard. "Fuck!"

With that, I throw open the door and stalk out of the room, slamming it shut behind me.

Pedro, who is sitting at the low wooden table while the widow stirs another pot of the spaghetti soup, looks up as I enter.

I flop down on the chair next to him, crossing my arms and legs with a loud huff.  
"I pity any Finder that is paired with that guy."

Pedro chuckles, shaking his head. "Will all due respect, Ms. Williams, there is no need to be so harsh; I've known Kanda for a long time. He's rather rough around the edges, but deep down he's alright."

I look at the Finder, noting the sincerity twinkling in his eyes.  
I scoff, "I see now evidence to support that. The guy may be gorgeous but that personality leaves much to be desired."

"Where's that soup spaghetti thing I was promised?" Kanda suddenly shouts from the other room.

"I didn't promise you shit, princess!" I holler back.

"I'll bring it to him," the widow offers, ladling the heavy broth into a bowl and carrying into the other room.

"That was a very noble thing that you did, Ms. Williams," Pedro pipes up after a pause. "You could have died."

I shrug. "It's a lot harder to kill me than you might think; although, admittedly, I didn't know what I was doing."

Pedro places a hand on my shoulder. "You saved his life, and even if he isn't grateful for it, I am."

I give him a slight smile. "Thanks, Pedro, but don't think of it as an uncommon instance. I've always felt the need to protect people, ever since I was a little girl." I falter slightly, remembering the dream I'd had when I'd been sick. "I was always the swordsman, never the princess."

Pedro raises an eyebrow. "Does that bother you?"

"It shouldn't."

Pedro opens his mouth to say something more, but I hold up a hand to stop him.  
"Please, let's not focus on that anymore. You've been here a while, is there anything about Victorio or his Innocence that you've observed during that time?

"Well, while Kanda was resting from his fight with Victorio, I was told the tale of the Millennium Swordsman from the locals around the city. Are you familiar with it?"

I nod. "My grandmother used to read it to me when I was a kid."

Padro nods. "Well, apparently, the home of the Sardini family is on the same plot of land that Princess Sandra's palace bedroom once stood."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? Well, then I think it's pretty safe to assume that Victorio mistakes Claudia for the Princess," I declare, spooning more spaghetti soup into my bowl. "After all, every time he defeated an Akuma going after the Innocence over the last few weeks, he'd report back to her."

Pedro looks surprised. "He saw them not as Akuma but as the men proposing to Princess Sandra?"

I point my spoon at him. "Precisely. The thing I don't get though is that Akuma only started appearing around the ruins a month ago, which was also when Victorio started appearing before Claudia. What was he doing before then?" I add.

"He was probably using the Coliseum as a safe haven," Pedro surmises, "To hide out and hibernate, quietly waiting for any opponents he had to battle."

I suck on my spoon thoughtfully. "As long as Victorio has the sword of Innocence, Akuma will continue to attack, and he will continue to fight for what he believes is to keep his princes safe."

"What of Claudia then?" Pedro inquires.

I shake my head. "She's in a heap of a lot of trouble right now. There's no end in sight if things continue like this, and she'll be in constant peril of Akuma attacks if she stays where she is."

"Then what are we to do?"

I stand up, taking my empty bowl and setting it beside the wash basin in the corner. "The only way we can correct this problem is to get the sword away from Victorio. The question is: how?"

The widow had gone outside to get more firewood. Pedro had gone out the back to make a call to the order with his phone backpack he'd left with her.

I mosied into Kanda's room to find him sitting up on the edge of the bed with his feet hanging over the side.  
"Hey, Man Candy, I need your opinion on something."

He gives me a seething side eye, but it doesn't deter me.  
I quickly fist a hand full of my hair and yank it up into a hasty ponytail. "I've been told I look like a man when I wear my hair back. What do you think?"

Kanda looks at me like I've lost my mind. "What?"

"Look. Victorio said he doesn't fight women, so I thought if I butch it up a bit-I mean, more than I already do-I might be able to get a few hits in."

"You are going to be fighting Victorio," Kanda asserts, sliding off the bed and reaching for his Exorcist jacket. "I am."

"Are you crazy, your wounds haven't even healed yet!" My cries fell on deaf ears as Kanda just slips on his Exorcist coat over his bandages.

"They're fine." Kanda then tears the gauze from his torso, and my mouth falls open in spite of myself to see that his wounds were almost completely healed.

"How did you-?" I falter. He heals even faster than me.

Kanda then stiffly buttons up his cloak. "I'm going to defeat Victorio, collect the Innocence, and then be on my way."

"And how to do you plan on doing that?" I scoff, crossing my arms. "Every time you injure him with Mugen, Victorio just heals himself again."

"I'll figure something out."

"That's not-."

I'm interrupted when Pedro rushes into the room.  
"I've got troubling news! More Akuma were just spotted ambushing the ruins and are fighting Victorio."

At his words, Kanda picks up Mugen and ties back his hair. He starts forward, but I get in his way.

"Listen, Boy Toy, you're not fully healed yet. You need to rest for another day at least."

Kanda grits his teeth. "You want the Akuma to fly off with the Innocence while I'm here taking a nap?"

"You're not the only one capable of fighting, you know," I fire back. "I can hold him back."

Kanda rolls his eyes. "Oh, that's reassuring."

"Look. Between me and Victorio, I highly doubt the Akuma will get the Innocence sword."

Kanda looks surprised at this. "Victorio?"

"He won't let the Akuma take his Innocence from him," I proclaim. "He can't afford to. He'll do whatever it takes to make sure it stays in his possession. I'll handle the Akuma and try to get Claudia to safety. You stay here, and think of a strategy to get Victorio's sword away from him.

"Think!" Kanda thunders, "Are you giving me orders now?"

I clench my teeth. "Kanda, I am two seconds away from giving you another hole in your stomach."

"You don't scare me, Nosebleed. Now get out of my way!"

BANG!

Kanda hits the wall with more force than I probably intended, but I'm pissed, so I don't really care if he has a headache in the morning. He crumples onto the bed, gasping for breath as I retract my Blood from his body, letting it slither back into my sleeves.  
"You're staying here even if I have to tie you to the bed. I'll do it! It'd be hot."

Kanda glowers at me, breathing heavily, but doesn't seem to have any energy left to fight.

"Good choice." With that, I turn and sprint from the house. "Make sure he stays put, Pedro," I call to the Finder as I pass him at the front door.

* * *

The battle is already in full swing by the time I reach the Coliseum. Akuma are chasing after Victorio while he runs them ragged, sprinting and expertly leaping about the space, slicing through them one after the other. He dodges another round of bullets as he snags one of the demons by the tail and holds it firm as he slices through it with his sword.

The Akuma erupts, smoke shrouding the arena. I shield my eyes as the dust billows around me. When it clears, Victorio jumps back as the ground beneath him shifts. The rubble breaks apart as a slick, purple figure with a face like hammerhead shark erupts from the ground.

I grimace. "Ah hell, a Level II."

Purple light explodes out from the Akuma's chest. Victorio swerves to dodge as the attack collides with the spot he'd just been standing in, but the force of the attack knocks him off his feet.

"Victorio!" I yell, rushing forward, but freeze when the dust breaks and the Millennium Swordsman leaps forward.

I stagger back in alarm as, with a thunderous cry, Victorio leaps into the air and slices the Level II Akuma right down the middle. He rips through the creature's flesh as it gives a shriek before its body ruptures and it dissolves in a shower of smoke.

I break through the ashy clouds and drop onto the ground before the swordsman. He looks up at my approach, his eyes cold and harsh, burning through the dirty air.

"Victorio," I call to him, holding up my hands. "You don't have to fight any longer. There's no reason: Princess Sandra died a long time ago."

Victorio starts forward. I fight the urge to step backwards. "Listen to me. This fighting has gone on for a thousand years. It's pointless. It's time to stop."

The Millennium Swordsman turns from me. "The princess is alive. It is her will that I continue to fight. It is my duty to cater to her wishes no matter how extreme the request."

"There's no one for you to protect," I insist. "The fight is over."

"It's never over!" Victorio snarls as he slices his blade across my chest.

"Whoa!" I stagger, the teeth just barely grazing my skin.

"Come!" Victorio lunges forward. I grunt, raising my Blood-coated arms and connecting with his blade like a shield.

He dislodges his sword and attacks from the side. I dodge, reforming my Blood into the ground as I propel myself backward, alighting on a fallen pillar.  
"You loved Princess Sandra," I call down to him, "I can see that through your Innocence. That's why you don't want to her go."

Victorio rushes towards me. "I serve the princess; I follow the orders that are given to me. Nothing more!" He slices his sword, and I flip backwards off the pillar.

I don't know how much longer I can keep up this game of keep away.  
 _If only he would listen to me!_

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I catch a glimpse of a burgundy hood.  
"Claudia!" I stop short, jerking my head to see the girl standing on the upper level of the Coliseum, staring down at us, her expression unreadable. "Claudia, this is all a misunderstanding: Victorio thinks that you're Princess Sandra-Ah!"

I dodge just in time as Victorio barrels towards me. I coat my hands in blood as he swings the blade again and catch it between my palms. I grit my teeth, whining with exertion as I'm pushed back, my heels dig into the dirt and my knees tremble as my arms shake under the Innocence's weight.  
"Please, Claudia; tell him to stand down! You're the only one that he'll listen to!"

I dare a glance in her direction. She's staring at me with her dark brown eyes, impassive, stubborn.

"Claudia" the yell rips through my chest as the fore of Victorio's weapon presses down on me. "If you don't do something now, this will never end. You'll be stuck with him forever! Is that what you want?!"

"Maybe it is," Claudia calls back. "My family was poor and we became rich; my life became one I no longer wanted, where I could no longer make a single decision for myself. I felt like a captive; Victorio _rescued_ me."

"I get it," I hiss as my feet start to slide backwards. Victorio's sword comes down on me like a javelin. "I get it," I say a little louder as my hands slip from the blade. "I GET IT!" My Blood erupts from my bood, spilling from every pore. My cloak is shredded as the scarlet tendrils amass around VIctori, forming a single, large limb that slams him backward, pinning him to the wall of the arena.

He snarls in frustration, straining and writhing against my Anti-Akum weapon, but I hold firm, resetting my feet and bracing against him as I turn to Claudia.

"I get it! I understand being in a family that never lets you make any of your own choices. My mother never let me be the person I wanted; she tried to control everything about me, but you know what I did?" I pause, gritting my teeth as my hold on Victorio starts to crack. I can feel him pressing back. "I left! I left, Claudia!" I scream, my voice rising with the exertion. "I lost everything and I thought I no longer had hope, but I didn't hide. I didn't run. I just left; I went my own way; I did my own things. You can't stop your life short. You have to find control." I look at her, gold eyes on brown.

Like the way I used to look at Emma.

"You do have control. You just need the strength to find it."

Snap! My arm breaks as my Blood shatters, and Victorio bursts free.

I stagger back, reeling as alarm bells sound in my head. The Swordsman steps around me, grasping my broken arm.

The sting of his grip shoots up the limb as he throws me to the ground.

I hit the hard sand and momentarily black out, lights popping around inside my skull.  
I roll over as Victorio's grip goes slack. Bleary, I can just make out the Millennium Swordsman towering over me as he raises his sword above his head.

"This is what I meant when I said you lacked the skills, Nosebleed!"

Kanda's form ripples into clarity as he leaps between us.

A familiar sweet scent fills my nose as burning liquid splatters on my face.

"K-Kanda!" I stagger to my knees as Kanda slumps where he stands, blood splattering his entire right side where Victorio's sword is embedded deeply into his shoulder.

He chuckles, his face darkened by his fluids as, before Victorio can pull his blade free, he slices Mugen with his free hand and a stale odor mixes with the sweet aroma.

My mind reels as I struggle to stand. Victorio screams as the blood splatters everywhere, blackened and old it steams on the ground of which so many a man had fallen at his hands.

Claudia screams, rushing towards us as Victorio staggers back, his arm having been completely removed from his body, and his sword along with it.

He collapses against the far wall, gasping and choking as he grips the stump.

"Victorio!" Claudia rushes over to his side as I go to Kanda's.

He falls to one knee, chuckling darkly. "He refuses to give up his sword, so I had to improvise…" he starts to fall forward, but I catch him, yanking the sword free of his shoulder in the process.

Kanda yells in pain as the weapon leaves his skin, and I quickly clap a hand over it, knowing no blood would be necessary as he'd heal it even faster.  
The fluid is warm beneath my fingers, and Kanda's shaking slightly so I hold on to him while Claudia drops down beside Victorio.

His breathing comes out shallow and his darkened eyes, no longer burning and now like dying embers slowly rise to the sky. Mixing with his breath, I can almost hear the faint cheers of a crowd and the slashing of swords, smell the sweat and blood of countless foes that had fallen at his blade.

 _I'm afraid of losing…No, I want to lose! The day I lose is the day the pain finally ends, but I can't handle it if she becomes the wife of another man. I can't lose! I want to keep winning for the rest of eternity._

The light in that wish became the light in the Innocence.

"Victorio!" Claudia grasps the man's shoulders as his form began to slacken, his skin withering like old leather and his hair greying before our very eyes. "I'm here," Claudia sobs, "Don't leave me. I don't want you to fight anymore. Let's go someplace quiet, just you and me."

Victorio gives her a pained smile. "I have a confession: I know you are not the real Princess Sandra."

Claudia looks at him, tears pouring thickly down her face.

"I knew the princess passed away centuries ago; however, fighting for you was one of the greatest honors of my life." He turns to look at her, his hair and now beard as white as snow, his face so full of wrinkles his eyes were barely visible, but is visible is warm and bright. "I only ask that you live for yourself just as Princess Sandra did so many years ago."

Claudia slowly nods her head.

Victorio chuckles as his eyes slide over to Kanda and me. "At least the Swordsman was able to save the Princess in the end, even if I couldn't."

I look at him, shocked as his eyes slowly flutter close, a sense of peace washing over his body as his head falls back and his body withers away.

"Victorio!" Claudia shrieks, screaming as his body evaporates into pearly smoke. "No! Come back! Don't leave me! No!"

"Honor his memory," I say to her.

She falls quiet. Turning to face me with her puffy, tear-filled eyes.

I smile. "Live for yourself."

Three days later, Claudia returned to the Sardini Estate, packed up her belongings, and left again. She chose to decide the course of her own life again, just as Victorio had wished.

* * *

I sit on a bench in the train station while Pedro phones the order. Kanda is sitting beside me, his arms folded over the pack that contains Victorio's Innocence, having reverted to its shard form upon his death.

His arm is still heavily bandaged, but I know that underneath the wound is mostly healed.

We sit in silence for several minutes, with only the wind making any sound.

After a few maddening minutes, I finally speak up.  
"For the record, thank you."

Kanda jerks towards me, his face conveying undeniable surprised.

I roll my eyes at his reaction. "You probably saved my life, and 'thanks' is the appropriate reaction to suc ha thing, just so you know."

Kanda snorts, turning away from me again.

I sigh, shaking my head. I hear the train whistle, knowing it's for me as the iron horse barrels around the corner. Kanda was heading on the next train for his new assignment that Komui had given him over the phone.

I had to wonder how often he was really at the Order.

The train pulls up next to the platform just as Pedro comes out of the building. He shoulders his phone back.  
"Ready to go?"

I nod, getting to my feet.

"It was good to see you again, Kanda," the Finder adds to him. He doesn't respond.

Pedro simply shrugs and then goes to the train, climbing on board.

I turn to follow, but waver.  
"Kanda," I whirl back around as he looks up in surprise at my voice. "One of these days you're going to swallow your pride, pull that pole out of your ass and realize that it's okay to ask for help, and when you do," I hold out my hand, "I'll be here."

Kanda looks at me, his face a mixture of shock and anger. He was probably trying to figure out whether my words justified smacking me in his eyes.

Leaving him to it, I turn on my heel and am about to climb on board when:

"You don't?"

I pause, glancing over my shoulder. "Pardon?"

"You don't look like a man with your hair back."

Now it's my turn to look shocked, but the train gives a lurch before I can respond, and I'm forced to climb fully into the car and shut the door behind me as it starts moving along.

Through the window, I catch one last glimpse of Kanda sitting on the bench before the train picks up speed and thunders back to the Order at frantic pace.

* * *

"Cas!" Allen rushes up to me as soon as I got in the door of Headquarters.

"Allen!" I can barely contain my excitement. I haven't seen him in over a week.

Which isn't that long, I realize, but I missed him.

"How was your assignment?" he inquires, "Komui said you were in Rome?"

I shrug. "The usual. What about you? How was Krory's first mission?"

Allen sighs, laughing weakly. "Well, it was something. It's kind of a long story."

"Well, you can tell it to me over dinner," I declare, throwing my arm over his shoulder, "Come on. I'm starving."

Allen laughs. "I can't argue with that."

I chuckle as well. It's so good to see him again.

* * *

A/N: As much as I enjoy writing Cas with Allen, I had a lot of fun writing her interacting with Kanda these last two chapters. Anyways, the next chapter is gonna be very important and a lot of questions will be cleared up. Stay tuned!  
Fun Fact: The spaghetti soup Cas and Kanda are eating at the beginning of the chapter comes from an old family recipe from my great grandfather who was from Sicily.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: The following chapter is 100% original and deals with Cas's backstory. Pack your bags kids, we're on an adventure! Also, just a note, the title is pronounced with the German 'w' so like a 'v'

* * *

Chapter 23: Waterende

* * *

 _"_ _Do you have any idea what kind of assignment this is, Lenalee?" I ask, shoving the last of my donut into my mouth as I follow her towards her brother's office. He'd sent her to summon me for a supposedly very important mission._

 _Lenalee glances at her clipboard. "All I know is that it deals with finding General Cross."_

 _My shoulders slump. "Ah, great. I thought we'd tabled that!"_

 _"_ _Well, you didn't have much luck in Romania, but my brother says there's a new lead you can follow that might show you his whereabouts."_

 _I raise an eyebrow in spite of myself. "Really?"_

 _"_ _No! Absolutely not!"_

 _I jump in surprise. We'd arrived at Komui's office; the door's closed, and I can faintly hear Cas's voice from behind the wood._

 _"_ _I don't care if it's a priority. I'm not going!"_

 _"_ _You don't really have a choice in the matter, Cas. This is an order, and as an Exorcist of the Black Order, you are expected to follow orders."_

 _I glance at Lenalee. She shrugs._

 _Tentatively, I knock on the door._

 _The two occupants behind it instantly fall silent._

 _"_ _Come in!" Komui calls after a moment, a little too cheerfully._

 _I cautiously open the door and step across the familiar carpet of coffee-stained paperwork to find Cas standing in front of Komui's desk. The first thing I notice about the Chief is that his glasses are a little askew and his signature white beret is missing. I quickly spot it on the other side of the room lying beside a broken lamp that had once sat on the desk._

 _I surmise that Cas must have lobbed said object at his head and knocked his hat off._

 _"_ _What are_ you _doing here?" Cas snaps at me, jerking me from my thoughts._

 _I recoil as I regard her, hurt. "I-uh."_

 _She looks at me, and her expression instantly changes when she realizes how she must have sounded. With a heavy sigh, she crosses her arms and flops down on the dark green sofa in the middle of the room._

 _Komui looks between us. "Right. I'm glad you got my message, Allen."_

 _"_ _What exactly is this about?" I inquire, still looking rather warily at Cas, who's body language is radiating something akin to a ticking time bomb._

 _"_ _Well, as you're already well aware, we have still been unable to locate General Cross."_

So sad _, I think sarcastically._

 _"_ _As you two didn't have any luck finding information on his location in Strigoi, I thought it might be a good idea to pay a visit to General Cross's former master."_

 _I raise an eyebrow. "Master's master?"_

 _"_ _Yes, Cas's grandmother: former Order General Audrey Williams."_

 _Oh, that's right. I remember Cas telling me that her grandmother was the one that trained my master when we first met._

 _"_ _Which means that he wants me to go back to Waterende," Cas grumbles from her spot on the couch._

 _I look towards her. "Waterende?"_

 _"_ _Yes, it's a small town in Germany a few miles north of Berlin," Komui explains, "It's where Audrey Williams has been living since her retirement, and it's where Cas grew up."_

 _I inwardly wince. Judging from the infrequent instances Cas did open up about her life before she became an Exorcist, living in her old town hadn't been a very pleasant experience._

 _No wonder she was resistant to going back._

 _"_ _And you won't just be going, Cas," Komui continues, "I'm sending Allen along with you; I think it'd be better if you were accompanied." He gives her a pointed look over his still crooked glasses._

 _That's code for: so you actually go to the village and not just say you did._

 _Cas stares him down, fuming._

 _I'm stuck between them, unsure of where to look or what to say._

Great, just great.

* * *

 _Cas hasn't said a word to me since we've left the Order. First she didn't eat any breakfast (which never happens) and now she's just standing silently on the edge of the platform, furiously puffing away on her pipe._

 _I stand next to her, shifting awkwardly._

 _Finally, after a lapse of silence, I work up the nerve to speak.  
"Listen, Cas, I know this is going to be difficult for you; I mean, you haven't been home in nearly four years, but you don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you, and I always will be."_

 _Cas snorts as the train pulls up in front of us.  
"That's a pie crust promise," she declares as she opens the door._

 _I blink. "Pardon?"_

 _"_ _Easily made, easily broken."_

 _"_ _Cas!" My voice rises as she steps on the train. "I'm trying to help you."_

 _She whirls around, her hands mounted on either side of the door. "You_ can't _help me."_

 _"_ _Let me try," I insist, "I don't even know…anything! I don't know what happened in your town or why you don't want to go back. Please, let me understand!"_

 _Cas looks at me, and a crack forms in her angry façade. She suddenly looks so vulnerable, standing there gripping the car doorframe as though it's her only support in the entire world._

 _I step forward. "Cas?"_

 _"_ _Alright." Her voice is very quiet. "I'll tell you. I'll tell you everything."_

 _My eyes widen. "What do you-?"_

 _"_ _Just come on." She then takes my hand and pulls me onto the train just as it whistles and starts moving forward. I turn to close the car door behind me. Looking back, I see that Cas has already started down the corridor, lugging her periwinkle suitcase behind her._

 _I follow, running to keep up as we eventually reach our compartment. I slide the door open for her and she sidles in, throwing her case onto the shelf above the window. I do the same with mine._

 _Cas flops down on the window seat and crosses her arms and legs, staring into her lap. A second later, the conductor appears, and I have our tickets stamped._

 _Once that's done, I move over to the spot on the bench across from her. Cas looks up as I sit down._

 _She doesn't talk right away, almost as though she's waiting for something._

 _"_ _I'm sorry," she finally says, "About what I said, I'm just not good at handling situations like that. You probably know that better than anyone."_

 _"_ _I understand," I assure her._

 _Cas's unfolds her arms, fisting a handful each of her pant legs.  
"First thing's first: my name is technically not Williams."_

 _I blink. "What?"_

 _"_ _I mean, it is, but Williams is the Anglicized way of saying Wilhelm," Cas explains, pronouncing the latter name with a 'v' and a heavy German accent, "It's my proper surname. I started going by Williams when I came to England because it was easier for people to say, and I blended in better. Just thought you ought to know, but really didn't it ever make you wonder why a German girl had an English surname?"_

 _I shrug. In all honesty, I had really thought about it. "I always just assumed it was your dad's last name."_

 _"_ _My parents aren't married, but I'll get to that," Cas hurriedly replies, "I suppose I should probably start this story with my grandmother: her name is Audrey Williams, and she was a General of the Black Order a long time ago. She'd been with the Order most of her life; she was found to be an Accommodator of Innocence when she was fourteen, and she joined the European Branch. Her skills were unrivaled by any and all of her teammates. She was an expert marksman and a ruthless destroyer of Akuma. When she was thirty, she was promoted to General."_

 _On the window beside Cas's head, the first few drops of a rainstorm splatter against the glass. The grey sky reflects the dismal mood of the train car as we race towards the border._

 _"_ _It was around this time though, that Audrey's life grew complicated. You see, a few months before she was promoted, she was sent to clear up an Akuma infestation in the small town of Waterende, Germany. It was a pretty routine job; except, while she was there, she met a tailor named Hans Wilhelm."_

 _"_ _Your grandfather," I surmise._

 _Cas nods. "Yeah, he fell in love with her almost instantly. He was a simple man from a simple town who had known the same people all his life, but then this beautiful, powerful, unique woman suddenly blew into town and swept him off his feet. They only spent time together for a few days before Audrey had to leave, but Hans promised to wait for her. He had to wait six years before she came back as she was on another assignment in the area. He was overjoyed and proposed to her on the spot. They got married, just the two of them and the priest, in the little Church in Waterende where Hans had been Baptized. However, Audrey couldn't live with him. She offered to take him with her to the Order, maybe he could become a Finder, but he said no. He loved his town, he wanted to stay, and he wasn't as young as he once was." Cas holds up her hand, "He had rheumatism."_

 _"_ _So he stayed in the village?" I'm slightly surprised._

 _Cas nods, "Yeah, he stayed and kept the house and his shop while Audrey went off on her assignments for the Order: tracking Innocence, hunting Akuma, coming home to Waterende to see him whenever she got the chance. I suppose it was during those infrequent visits that they conceived their only child: my mother Elizabeth Wilhelm.  
After Elizabeth was born, Audrey went back to the Order, and she stayed with her father." Cas pauses, glancing out the window at the steadily pouring rain, "I guess she grew to resent her mother because of that; the times that she saw her were few and far between, and it was also during that time that General Williams took an apprentice under her wing: a young man named Cross Marian." Cas laughs weakly, "My mother loathed him; I can't really blame her. After all, her mother spent more time with him than her own daughter. I suppose that would leave anyone embittered."_

 _I watch Cas as she unravels her tale, spellbound. She had never mentioned her mother to me before, the most she ever talked about was her grandmother and Emma. I hadn't expected Cas to open up to me like this, but I suppose the emotions she had been withholding were like flood gates. Little bits would slip through every once and a while, but eventually something would have to give, and everything would come pouring out all at once._

 _"_ _Everything started to fall apart all at once," Cas continues, "Audrey fell out of sync with her Innocence. I suppose she was probably grateful for that, for being able to step down from being a General, let her apprentice Cross take her place, and return home to be with her husband and daughter. But it was too late for the former: Hans Wilhelm died of consumption a little over a year after my grandmother retired. Elizabeth was sixteen, and by that point she wanted nothing to do with her mother or anything related to the Black Order she'd come from. She dove headfirst into her schoolings, shutting everything else out. She graduated from her tiny high school as the valedictorian and packed up her things soon afterwards to head to America and medical school. Audrey tried to convince Elizabeth not to go, but she couldn't be swayed. She got on a boat and sailed across the Atlantic, and that was the last Audrey saw of her for six years. While she was overseas, Elizabeth never wrote or called or anything; it was like she'd shut herself out of her mother's life. Audrey got so worried, she even sent Cross over to check on her at one point."  
Cas winces, "I suppose you can guess how that went."_

 _I nod. "Yeah."_

 _"_ _Well, Elizabeth excelled in school once again, graduating college with top marks and continuing towards her goal as a doctor. However, at some undisclosed point during all this work and studying, she met someone. I don't know who, I don't know what he looks like, how they met; I don't even know his name; all I know is that they met one night and got drunk together. They're relationship lasted no more than a few hours, but it was enough. So, after six years, Elizabeth returned to Waterende with a medical degree…and me."_

 _I breathe deeply, my chest slightly heavy. Cas didn't know who her father was?  
I feel a twinge of empathy in that regard; I don't know who my real parents were and there are times, on dark lonely nights that I wonder about the people that had abandoned me when I was a baby, but at the same time, I had Mana. He was my father, and I still held him as such in my heart.  
To not have that, to not know what your father looked like or even his name. I couldn't imagine it._

 _"_ _This is where we get to my side of things," Cas goes on, "The first few years of my life were…difficult. You see, Elizabeth got a job at a hospital in Berlin, so she couldn't be home to take care of me. My grandmother lived nearby, so she offered to look after me, but my mother astutely refused. She didn't want me to anything to do with her. I guess a part of her was worried I'd run off with the Black Order too, that I would become odd and strange, warped and twisted like her mother had."  
Cas laughs, gesturing to her Exorcist cloak, "Look at how well that turned out; it seems the harder she pushed me away, the more drawn to it I'd be. Anyways, Elizabeth hired a babysitter to look after little toddler Cas, and that didn't work out very well, because I was kidnapped when I was five years old."_

 _My heart drops into my stomach; I almost miss Cas's revelation due to how nonchalantly she says it.  
"You were…what?" _

_Cas shrugs, "I don't remember very much about it, since I was so little, but yeah. The babysitter fell asleep, and I was snatched out of my home and carried off somewhere." Cas pauses, and her previously calm attitude suddenly melts away as a haunted look fills her eyes, "I just remember a cold dark room, there was the smell of blood, my Blood, and chanting, and hands, hands all over me and a number, some number repeated over and over and…" She trails off, pulling her knees into her chest as she pauses to draw breath._

 _"_ _How did you get escape?" I ask quietly._

 _Cas smiles weakly. "How do you think? If it's any consolation, being kidnapped by those people, whoever they were, was the catalyst that awakened my Innocence, although not fully. I can't really recall the details, but I do remember running through the woods. I'd been running for miles, for days. I remember there were people chasing after me, shouting and there were lights all around me, like fireflies, and then…" Cas trails off, her eyes once again drifting out the window._

 _The rain has picked up; it drenches the window as the storm's winds bend the trees as we whip past._

 _I flex my fingers against my knees, feeling angry, sad, and scared all at once. I imagine Cas is probably feeling something similar, even if she's trying so hard to hide it._

 _"_ _After I was found and brought back," Cas's voice is so quiet I almost fail to realize she's continuing the story, "The babysitter was naturally fired, and Elizabeth had to seek a new way to keep me occupied while she was at work. As luck would have it, a new family from England moved in right next door. They were the Greenwoods, and they were the perfect family: there was a father and a mother and two daughters named Emma and Lucy, and the older one was about my age. Mrs. Greenwood and Elizabeth hit it off right away, and pretty soon she was watching over me while Elizabeth was at work. Although I didn't mind, Mrs. Greenwood could be kinda strict at times like she didn't let Emma eat certain foods or read certain books or go certain places, but it was far from bad. Emma and I clicked almost immediately; we spent that first summer riding our bicycles around downtown, buying sweets from the corner store, feeding the groceries to the ducks in the pond, running through the creek, climbing trees in the woods on the edge of town, charting stars at night and catching fireflies. It was...nice."_

 _A change came over Cas's face in that moment, it's like everything is melting away and she can't see the train car or the rain or even me. I look at her and she looks completely different and I realize, lost in those memories, that Cas is being transported back to that time and that person she used to be, before the complications, before the suffering, before the pain._

 _"_ _Emma and I started school together. All the children went to the same school from kindergarten to twelfth grade. I remember how excited I was and how nervous Emma was. She was so worried she'd get her new pink dress dirty." Cas sighs, "I remember hating pink. My mother put me in it all the time when I was too young to have a say. Dresses and bows with my long hair curled, everything full of pastels and frills with tiny black shoes and itchy stockings."  
She shivers, "On the subject of clothes, you see the way that I actually started hanging out with my grandmother was that mine and Emma's route to school every day always took us past her house. We'd always see her working in her rose garden in the morning, and in the afternoon, we'd stop by her place for afternoon tea. She'd tell us stories and we'd play in her garden. She had all these awesome things in her attic that she'd collected from her travels during her time in the Order as well as all of my grandfather's old things. It was on one of these excursion in the attic, that I came across some his old clothes: his smoking jacket, his ruffled collared shirts, his velvet top hat he'd wear to Sunday Mass. I tried them on, and I loved them. I had never considered the idea of wearing men's clothing before; it had been unheard of, but well, in that moment, it became all I wanted to do."_

 _"_ _So that's how you started dressing the way you do."_

 _Cas looks a little stricken. "Somewhat. I also found my grandfather's old sewing machine in the attic so Emma helped me carry it home as well as a bunch of materials and books on different patterns. I was about eight here, so I was old enough to at least make basic sense of them. When winter break rolled around, we had a big snow storm, nearly unheard of. I spent my days outside building snowmen and making snow angels with Emma and my nights making clothes by candlelight. My first outfits were admittedly rubbish, but I was more proud of them than I'd ever been of anything else. When the time came for school again, I walked downstairs with my books and my coat and my new outfit. My mother screamed and demanded where I'd gotten them. I proudly told her I'd made them. She demanded I take them off, I refused. She grabbed me, hauled me up the stairs. I remember kicking, screaming, biting. She smacked me across the face and forced a dress onto me before shoving me out the door. While I was at school, I stole the teacher's scissors and cut up the dress she'd forced onto me. When I got home, my mother hit me around the ears and locked me in my room. I screamed and cried, beating at the door. I told her I didn't want to be her daughter; I didn't want to be a girl if I meant dressing that way. I remembering throwing myself on the floor and beating the ground until I was bloody and bruised, ripping my hair out until my mother had to cut it."_

 _That change happens to Cas once more, and I no longer see a proud seventeen-year-old brimming with spunk and confidence but a frightened and angry eight-year-old, terrified of being different._

 _"_ _Emma found me sitting on the back door, holding a steak over my black eye. In that moment, we formed a plan. I'd take my clothes and sewing machine back to my grandmother's and then, every morning, I'd walk to school in the clothes my mother had bought for me only to change into the one's I'd made when I got to my grandmother's home. It was fool proof."  
Cas shrugs, "Of course the other kid's mocked me some, but I'd fight them in the school yard if there jeers got to be too much. Although, I got a bit of a thick skin from all that, learned not to let it bother me too much. This is me; take it or leave it."_

 _There it was, a bit of that confidence came back at the edges of Cas's face._

 _"_ _Things went smoothly for a time, but then, well…" Cas trails off, seemingly searching for the right words. "Emma had always been very pretty; she was considered by many to be the prettiest girl in our class: she had clear skin, gorgeous honey brown hair, big brown eyes, a petite figure, a nice bust, beautiful dresses, and she was the sweetest, kindest girl you could possibly hope to meet."  
Cas laughs, "She broke a lot hearts, because no matter how many boys asked for her to be their girlfriend, she always said no and hung out with me instead. I always thought it was because she was shy around boys, but then...Well, we were taking a walk in the woods on the edge of the town, just like we did almost every other weekend, but that day was unique in every way because it was that day that Emma told me that she liked girls and that she liked me and then she kissed me and I kissed her back. It was such an odd thing, such a natural thing, like it had always happened, was always happening, and would always happen. Emma had been my best friend since I was six years old, but in that moment that we took the next step, everything seemed to fall into place."_

 _Despite the wistful look on her face, I couldn't help but cringe.  
"How did your mother take it?"_

 _Cas snorts. "We didn't tell her or Emma's folks. We didn't tell anyone. We were always together anyways so it wasn't like it was anything unusual. We started meeting in the woods in secret where we'd talk and kiss and…Well, anyways. I gave her presents, I made her clothes, she baked me sweets, we read books together and acted out the different parts. I grew my hair back out because of her; she told me she liked it long. We went to Mass on Sundays together, singing in the choir, holding hands under the pew. We went into the city together, we held hands in coffee shops. We did everything normal couples do. Sometimes a little too normal."  
Cas's face twists into a gruesome expression as a particularly sour memory resurfaces, "The Back to School Dance: we'd been dating for a little over a year, we were fourteen and every boy in the class asked Emma to go to the party with them. She declined, claiming she was going stag, but we were secretly each other's dates."  
Cas's eyes glazed over, "I remember how pretty she looked that night: in a silver dress I'd made for her with roses in her hair, and I'd worn a suit with a pair of white gloves my grandmother had bought me. The party was fantastic, sheer perfection at its finest: we talked and ate and danced the night away and then, like a cherry on top, we snuck off into the apple orchard just off the school yard and had a good kiss but then…"  
A shadow passes over Cas's face, "Then someone saw us, a boy from our class, and he rushed off and told all the other boys and some of them told their girlfriends and one of them told their mother and then well, through the grape vine it finally got back to Emma's mother and mine."_

 _Cas shrank against the back of her seat, rubbing her arms. "I'll never forget that night, so much shouting. My mother cried; she hit me with a fire poker and shrieked 'but you like boys, you went on and on about Erich Adalhard when you were ten years old. Why would you do this to me? Why can't you be normal?!' She locked me in my room all weekend; when I was allowed out, I couldn't see Emma anymore. Her mother had gotten it into her head that I was a 'bad influence' that I'd made Emma that way, so she forbade me from going anywhere near her. This only made my mother angrier. I remember for the next two months, she'd march me to and from school like I was a toddler, and then when we'd get home, she'd lock me in room. I remembering breaking things, beating at the doors until my fists were full of splinters, I tried to run away, breaking the window and jumping down three stories, but I broke my leg in the fall, so I couldn't go any further. But Emma and I still tried to see each other; I'd see her in class, and we'd shoot these far away glances at each other. Sometimes we'd pass notes to one another, written in Hebrew, which my grandmother had taught us when she made us study the Bible, so nobody else could read them. We'd sneak out at night and meet in the woods. I remember holding her close one night as we watched a meteor shower at three in the morning. I remember promising her that we'd run away together, that I'd get a job, make money, never mind the strangeness of my body, I'd find a way for us to be happy, happy and free."_

 _Cas falters. If she could cry, she'd probably be doing it._

 _I reach up to touch the corner of my own eyes and find they're wet.  
I'm crying for her._

 _"_ _But that didn't happen," Cas whispers thickly, "Because Emma stopped coming to the woods at night, through no fault of her own. Her sister Lucy got sick all of the sudden; I remember praying for her in Mass and at night when I should have been sleeping, begging God to make her better so that Emma would smile again, so that she'd have her baby sister, but that didn't happen. God took her away, and Emma screamed for days. I remember hearing her sob from my bedroom window and feeling like my cold little heart was shattering to pieces."  
Cas squeezes her eyes shut, shaking her head as though she could still hear her lover's tears inside her mind, and perhaps she could, "I remember warning her, begging her, making her promise, but she'd just look at me blankly, with those cold empty eyes. The night she died I didn't even see the real Emma, only the shell Lucy's corpse had brought into the world."_

 _Cas buries her face in her hands. "I awoke to the house on fire. I remember running into the heat and finding Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood's bodies amidst the flames, and in the center…" Cas stops, biting her lip._

 _"_ _Cas, you don't have to-."_

 _"_ _In the center was the Akuma, wearing Emma's skin. She'd called Lucy back from the grave, and they'd both suffered for it. That fucking Millennium Earl with his silver tongue had gotten to her despite all my warnings!" Cas slams her hand against the window, and a few cracks slither out from under her clenched fist.  
She takes a deep breath, "And so I killed her. I didn't want to, I didn't know what was happening as my body betrayed my mind and slaughtered her. I only learned later from my grandmother, after she'd pulled me from the fire, when she told me what I was, what Emma had become, and why I'd had no choice but to kill her. That thing, that thing with her face, died screaming with her voice, and I didn't know in that moment, and I killed her."_

 _Cas then buries her face in her hands, resting them on her bent knees and she just sits there for a moment._

 _I watch her, feeling as though I'm about to be sick. I want to run to her, to close the small space of the compartment between us, to hold onto her, and open her up and take out that pain and suffering inside her soul and shatter it into a million pieces so that she'd never feel it again, but I know I can't do that.  
No one can._

 _After a moment, Cas slowly lowers her hands. "And, well, you kind of know the rest. The first few weeks after Emma's death were bad. I hid in my grandmother's house, in her attic with grandfather's things. My mother tried to get in to see me, but my grandmother barred her path. At night, I'd hear them fighting on the front step. Sometimes I'd sneak out the attic window, I could jump out now without breaking anything. I'd go to downtown, try to get drunk in the taverns, fool around with women in tight-fitting outfits. I'd cut my fists on broken glass and watch the wounds close. I bit my finger off one time and didn't even flinch because I couldn't feel it. That was the worst of times, with Emma gone, the last tears I'd ever shed had dried up my soul, and I couldn't feel anything."_

 _Cas slowly lets her legs fall flat against the seat. She looks tired._

 _"_ _My grandmother knew I couldn't go on like that. So, one night at one in the mornining, she woke me up, told me to get dressed and pack up what few belongings I had. She gave me a handful of cash and directions to a former Science Division member called Hermenshire. He could train me, she said; he knew more about Akuma then even some Exorcists did. So, without much of a choice, I went on my way. I went to his house; he was so old and blind, but he was a good teacher. He used words I'd never heard before and formed thoughts I couldn't fathom. I learned quickly with him, my Blood came naturally to me, and then the hunting started. Suddenly, there was always something to do, always somewhere to go, something to catch, something to break, something to save. There was no longer that deafening quiet of my grandmother's attic, no more trying to drink until I couldn't remember or break something until it couldn't be fixed. There was a purpose again; I was on the right path once more."_

 _And with that, it was over. The cloud of words evaporated into memory above our heads as I sat there, still and silent, soaking in everything Cas had said._

 _She slid down in her seat as though deflated from everything she'd just said._

 _She looked tired and like she was trying to be sad._

 _I looked at her, not caring that she could probably see the tears rolling thickly down my cheeks; in a way, I want her to see them. I lick my dry lips as I look at her._

 _She stares right back at me, tilting her head to the side as though she's trying to read me or expecting me to say something._

 _But I can't. I can't say a word._

 _So, instead, I stand up. Cas sits up straight as I take the two steps it takes to cross the compartment._

 _She looks up at me, startled, and her mouth parts to form a question, but I kneel down at hug her before she can fully form it on her tongue._

 _A gasp escapes her lips instead as I throw my arms around her neck and bury my face in her hair. She freezes where she sits, arms limp at her sides as her dull emotions try to process my actions and how to respond._

 _I didn't have any words that could be said to express how deeply, how truly I felt for her in that moment.  
So I just hugged her tighter, like was never letting go._

 _We sat like that for a while; how long, I don't know or really care for that matter._

 _Finally, Cas speaks, in a voice barely a whisper._

 _"_ _Allen," is all she says._

* * *

 _We're in Germany the following afternoon. Cas and I haven't talked much since the first night on the train, mostly just sitting in silence, eating food when it's brought to us and occasionally commenting on the scenery.  
Cas perks up a bit when I ask her to read the street signs we pass to me in German. She admits that her family mostly spoke English, but she was still fluent enough to translate and offered to teach me a word or two._

 _German's hard._

 _As we near Waterende, however, the mood changes, a pale recreation of that moment of darkness that had hung like a storm cloud over Cas as she had explained her past to me. I try my best to comfort her, but she doesn't seem to even hear what I'm saying._

 _She just sits there, smoking like a chimney. Our compartment reeks of tobacco._

 _Arbitrarily, a few stops from Waterende, Cas stands up and announces that she's going to 'change'.  
Before I can question what's wrong with her current outfit, she's out of the compartment and down the hall towards the car bathroom._

 _She's gone a long time; pretty soon, the train slows down and the conductor announces that Waterende is the next stop. Quickly, I gather up our bags and then hurry down the hall towards the bathroom._

 _"_ _Cas?" I call, knocking on the door, nearly dropping one of the suitcases in the process, "We're getting off soon. Are you almost ready?"_

 _No response._

 _"_ _Cas?"_

 _The door suddenly flies open and a hand snatches at my collar. I cry out in surprise, dropping the suitcases as I'm yanked into the bathroom, and the door is shut behind me.  
I've barely registered what had just happened when Cas plants me against the wall, her arms on either side of me. She looks anxious._

 _"_ _Allen, I have a very important question to ask you, and it is crucial that you answer truthfully. Do you understand?"_

 _I swallow. "Um. Okay."_

 _Cas then holds up a piece of brown leather. "Do you know how to lace a corset?"_

* * *

 _"_ _Ow! Oh God…Fuck!"_

 _"_ _Sorry. I'm almost done," I grit my teeth as I pull the strings tighter._

 _Cas gasps, bracing against the bathroom sink, groaning through her clenched jaw.  
"T-Tell me again how you know how to do this?"_

 _"_ _Sometimes Master's girls would be too drunk to tie their clothes themselves," I reply, crossing the bottom strings and pulling._

 _"_ _Gah!" Cas chokes, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."_

 _"_ _There. Done," I announce, stepping back. "How do you feel?"_

 _Cas groans. "My ribs are digging into my spleen."_

 _"_ _Then I did it right," I declare as I survey Cas up and down. Under the corset, she's wearing a white ankle-length, long-sleeved dress with a high collar. Her red hair is pulled back into a tight bun, and she's wearing more makeup than usual._

 _Cas laughs weakly as she turns to face me, slightly stiff in her movements as she tries to adjust to the corset. "How do I look?"_

 _I tilt my head to the side, slightly disconcerted. "You don't look like you."_

 _Cas flushes. "Well, that's the idea."_

 _"_ _What do you mean?"_

 _"_ _Since I have to see my mom again, I might as well make a good first impression," she explains simply, pulling open the bathroom door just as the train lurches to a halt. "What's even better, I'm bringing a_ boy _with me."_

 _My face burns as she steps out. "What?"_

* * *

 _The village of Waterende is a quaint, quiet little town with clean cobblestone streets, neat little shops and homes all lined up in rows with faces like gingerbread houses. The trees are well-trimmed, the people well-dressed. Everything is quiet, clean, neat, and perfect._

 _Maybe a little too perfect._

 _I'm starting to see why Cas felt like a square block being pushed into a round hole in this place._

 _She walks ahead of me, stiff as a board due to the lacing (and also because she's annoyed that she accidentally dropped her matches into the toilet during that whole ordeal). She lifts her skirts ever so slightly so the hems just barely brush against the ground._

 _Two women pass us by, going the opposite way down the sidewalk. They glance at Cas and their eyes widen; one of them turns to the other and whispers something to her from behind her hand. They walk past us, giggling quietly to eachother._

 _I scowl after them as I walk behind Cas, carrying out luggage. Her back's to me, so I can't see her expression._

 _We make our way through downtown, encountering a few more people like the two women; they whisper and mutter amongst themselves but not much else._

 _I hear a man mutter something as he brushes past me that is such a crude term, I almost turn around and punch him right in the face._

 _However, I spy Cas looking at me out of the corner of her eye, and she subtly shakes her head._

 _I relent, and we continue on._

 _We make it to the edge of town after about an hour. Waterende really is small._

 _Cas keeps walking and I hurry along after her. We pass a small school nestled amidst trees with an apple orchard behind it.  
We continue along a dirt road until we finally come across a tiny little house that's painted bluebird blue. It's surrounded by a white picket fence, and the yard is almost completely overrun with roses. They are exploding across the grass, spilling over the fence and crawling up the side of the house. They're flowers of every color including white, red, yellow, pink, and even purple._

 _As we approach the house, Cas abruptly stops beside the mailbox, and I almost walk into her.  
"Uh, what is it?" I inquire._

 _"_ _Shh!" she hisses, and I snap my mouth shut._

 _Cautiously, Cas then steps forward. There's the sudden twang of a wire as it snaps around her foot. She gives a cry and staggers backward, crashing into me and sending our suitcases flying. Our yells mix with the clamoring of dozens of cow bells that are tethered behind the mailbox, seemingly triggered by the trip wire._

 _"_ _Oh no!" Cas gives a yell just as the door flies open and a huge, black shape barrels across the yard in a single bound, leaping over the fence._

 _I scream as the great beast jumps past me and tackles Cas, knocking her flat on her back in the middle of the road.  
"No! No, get off me!" Cas's shrieks soon turn to peals of laughter as the humongous black dog resting on her chest starts furiously licking at her face, his tail thumping enough to create a draft. "No! Stop it, Grimm. That tickles."_

 _I have just dared to relax when a frying pan suddenly comes out of nowhere and hits me in the head._

 _I stagger backwards with a cry of surprise as a shrieking voice sounds from the doorway of the little house.  
"Take that! That'll teach you punks to hang around my house. Go on, get 'em, Grimm. He's a trained attack dog, you brats. He'll rip your face off!"_

 _Seeing stars, I sway where I stand, gripping the side of my head. As my vision clears, I find the source of the voice is standing directly in front of me, or rather slightly below me._

 _I glance down to see an incredibly short woman glaring up at me with her hands on her hips. She is staring disapprovingly with a pair of deep brown eyes blazing out from under a gigantic floppy sun hat with dozens of roses tucked under the brim. Erupting from under the hat are thick grey curls that had been loosely tamed into two pigtails. The woman is also wearing a sunflower yellow dress, a pair of wellington boots and dark green gardening gloves that come up to her elbows._

 _She brandishes a wooden walking stick in her fist, waving it in my face. "Go on! Get!"_

 _"_ _Grandma, it's me," Cas calls breathlessly as the giant dog is still crushing her chest. "Can you call off Grimm? I can't breathe!"_

 _My mouth falls open. You have got to be kidding me!_ This _is Cas's grandmother, General Audrey Wilhelm?_

 _The woman spins around, her eyes even wider as she regards Cas's prone form.  
"Cassandra?" she exclaims in awe._

 _"_ _Yeah, Gram; it's me," Cas smiles weakly._

 _"_ _Oh, Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" Audrey Wilhelm exclaims as she flicks her hands frantically at the giant dog. "Off. Off, Grimm. For the love of everything, Cas! Come. Come, on your feet!"  
The small woman grips Cas by the elbow and hoists her to into a standing position._

 _Cas smiles down at her. "Hello, Grandma."_

 _Almost as soon as it had come, the surprise melts from Audrey's face, and she holds aloft the walking stick.  
"What?" Smack! "Do" Smack! "You" Smack! "Think" Smack! "You're" Smack! "Doing" Smack! "Coming" Smack! "Back" Smack! "Here?" _

_Cas recoils, trying to dodge her grandmother's tirade as she punctuates each word with a blow of her walking stick, but she can't escape her surprisingly strong grip._

 _"_ _Ah! Grandma. Stop! I can explain. I-Ow! Ow!"_

 _"_ _Why. Didn't. You. Go. To. The. Order. Like. I. Said? You've. Got. Some. Nerve. Crawling. Back. Here. Cassandra. Wilhelm!"_

 _"_ _N-No! I did-Ow!-become an Exorcist-Gah!" Cas falls to the ground, scooting backwards as she holds her arms over her face in an attempt to shield herself as her grandmother chases after her with her stick. "A-Allen! A little-Ow!-help?"_

 _I gulp, having been standing frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do._

 _I think I understand what Cas meant by her grandmother being a proprietor of 'tough love'._

 _Although, if that's what she did to her own granddaughter, I didn't want to think about what she'd might do to an Akuma._

 _"_ _Allen! Ow!"_

 _"_ _Oh. Um, excuse me, Frau. Wilhelm," I start forward nervously, "I, um. Well, there's been a misunderstanding. You see, Cas is an Exorcist, she's just not wearing her coat. I then hold up the collar of my own, showing off the silver insignia._

 _Audrey turns to face me as though she's seeing me for the first time.  
"Oh! Oh, I see!" she exclaims, noting the distinctive coat before rounding on Cas, still cowering on the ground, "Well, why didn't you say so?"_

 _Cas sighs heavily as she clambers to her feet, with some difficulty in her large dress and corset.  
"I did everything you told me to, Grandma."_

 _"_ _I can see that," Audrey declares, "But don't expect any congratulations. We don't want you getting too big-headed, do we?"_

 _Cas laughs, casting me a helpless smile. "No. Of course not?"_

 _"_ _Now, Cas, aren't you going to introduce me to your boyfriend or have you forgotten manners?" She brandishes her stick again, and Cas recoils blabbering._

 _"_ _N-No! Allen isn't my boyfriend. He's just my-uh…"_

 _"_ _Partner!" I interject, quickly dropping my eyes to avoid meeting Audrey's. "I'm her partner."_

 _"_ _Yes, this is Allen Walker, and he's my kinda sorta partner...Yeah."_

 _The former General steps towards me, tapping the silver badge on my coat with the end of her stick. "An Exorcist too, I see. He's rather strange looking, don't you think, Cas? Sort of akin to a powdered donut? Or is that the new style in the big cities these days?"_

 _Cas snorts while I blush heavily._

 _"_ _Speaking of donuts, you two have dropped by just in time for afternoon tea; I've got a fresh pot boiling and some treats set out in the sitting room. We must keep about our proper British ways in this wild country, mustn't we?" She winks at me before calling to her dog, who was snuffling at the garbage bins beside the booby-trapped mailbox, and heading back through the gate and into the house._

 _I look at Cas. "Are you okay?"_

 _She waves her hand off. "Don't sweat it. Her heart's in the right place, and she never hits me as hard as she could."_

 _I'm not in the least bit comforted._

 _"_ _Quite dawdling you two!"_

 _I stiffen._

 _"_ _Yes, ma'am!" Cas and I shout in unison before racing along the garden path and into the house after General Wilhelm._

 _The inside of the home is cramped but cozy. We enter a tiny living room where there's a small blue sofa resting against the wall with a white rug and coffee table. The door beside the couch leads to a small kitchen. All along the walls and across the fire place mantel are dozens upon dozens of pictures._

 _Just glancing at a few, I spy images of a slender, blonde woman with the same big brown eyes wearing a gold and black jacket I'd seen Master Cross wear, so it must be a symbol of the Generals._

 _In some photos, she's standing with some other comrades, none of which I recognized. They're also a few photos of that same blonde Audrey with a tired-faced man with grey behind his ears and deep black eyes set into skin that crinkled when he smiled._

 _And, of course, there are dozens of pictures of Cas through all stages of her life. I'm about to get a better look at few, but Grimm suddenly barrels by me, bumping a table, knocking a lamp over and sweeping me off my feet. I stagger backwards into Cas, who catches me at the shoulders to stop me from tipping over._

 _"_ _How can such a big dog live in such a little house?" I whisper as Grimm jumps onto the couch and spreads out across it, taking up everything but the arm rests._

 _Cas shakes her head. "I've been asking myself that question all my life."_

 _"_ _Well, come on, come on, sit down," Audrey calls as she steps in from the kitchen, having removed her hat and gardening gloves but kept on the wellies. She's carrying a try laden with a pink pearly tea set and a plate full of tiny Vienna cookies._

 _Cas settles in a high-backed arm chair, crossing her legs as she accepts a cup from her grandmother.  
"Two sugars, right? I remember the way you like it. What about you, boy?"_

 _I flinch, having somehow managed to squeeze at least half of my body onto the end of the couch beside Grimm.  
"Just milk, please."_

 _I'm handed my cup and a cookie, which I munch nervously._

 _"_ _Now then," Audrey settles down on in a rocking chair across from Cas. "Why don't you tell me about the Black Order? How are things coming along? I hear they've got a new chief."_

 _"_ _Actually, Frau. Wilhelm, we've come here for a specific reason. We-" I start, but Audrey holds up a hand to silence me. "In due time, boy; I'll make another pot. In the meantime, why don't you tell me what's happened since you left, Cas; it's been quite some time."_

 _"_ _It's been three and a half years, Grandma."_

 _"_ _Quite," Audrey waves her hand dismissively, "Now. Go on."_

 _So, Cas and I start telling her about our adventures on her assignments such as the Ghost of Mater, meeting Krory in Romania, and Cas details her latest trip to Rome with Kanda and a swordsman that lived for a thousand years._

 _"_ _Remember, Grandma," Cas grins as she sips her tea, "Like that story you used to tell me and Emma."_

 _"_ _Ah, yes," Audrey muses as she leans forward and picks up the pot, "Well, we've finished this one, now it's on to the second and your reason for coming here today." She holds up a hand, signaling us to wait as she picks up the empty teapot and hurries into the kitchen to refill it._

 _She returns a moment later with it refilled and steaming as she sets it down on the coffee table and pours us each a fresh cup. She sits down on the rocker and spreads her arms wide, telling us to begin._

 _"_ _You see, Frau. Wilhelm," I start, "We were sent here at the request of our chief. You see, General Cross is missing, and we were hoping you might have an idea of where he could be."_

 _Audrey, who'd been sipping her tea, chokes forcefully.  
"What? Why in God's name is the Order breaking their backs trying to find that lowlife good for nothing? I swear, if it wasn't for that Innocence of his, he'd be dead in a ditch long ago, and I would have been the one to put him there! I swear, Cas; the stories I could tell you about that boy…"_

 _Cas grimaces, "I rather you didn't, Grandma."_

 _"_ _Believe me, Frau. Wilhelm," I chime in, "If it was up to us, General Cross would stay missing."_

 _Audrey eyes me.  
"Have you met Cross Marian, boy?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, actually, I was his apprentice for the better part of four years."_

 _"_ _Oh!" Audrey gasps, nearly dropping her teacup as she claps a hand to her chest, "Oh, you poor boy. Oh, here, have another cookie. Have two!"_

 _Cas sniggers as Audrey starts heaping cookie after cookie onto my plate._

 _"_ _I'm okay. I'm okay," I finally say before she can dump the whole platter on me._

 _"_ _Listen, Grandma; it's over our heads. We need to find Cross, higher-up's orders."_

 _Audrey's shoulders slump. "There was a time when I was a higher-up. How times change. Well, I hate to 'disapoint', but I'm afraid I haven't heard a peep from my former terror of an apprentice since he crashed your fourth birthday party, Cas; obviously, that was a long time ago."_

 _Cas shrugs. "That's what I told Komui, but he wouldn't listen, I mean not that I didn't want to come home, but-."_

 _"_ _Never mind that," Audrey waves her words off. "A part of me wishes I did know where he was, small as it may be. If you do manage to find Cross, give him a good punch in the face for your ol' Gran, would you?"_

 _Cas smirks. "Of course."_

 _I can't help but smile as I look at her. Despite all of Cas's reservations about returning to her home town, she seems relaxed and possibly happy. At least she did seem to have some pleasant memories involving her grandmother, and that there had been someone in her life that loved and accepted her unconditionally._

 _"_ _Now," the former General continues as she moves to set down her empty cup, "Is there anything else you'd like to ask me, since you're here?"_

 _"_ _Actually, yes." I look to Cas in surprise as she leans forward in her chair, clasping her hands over her knees. "What can you tell me about the Noah Clan."_

Crash! _The teacup hits the ground and shatters to splinters across the carpet._

 _Grimm jumps off the couch with a whine and scampers up the stairs, bumping into every inch of the wall the whole way._

 _Audrey Wilhelm stands amidst the broken teacup, her hand still open where it had once rested as it shakes. Her skin is ashen as she looks at her granddaughter._

 _"_ _Did you say Noah?"_

 _Cas and I exchange a glance.  
"Yes."_

 _Audrey sighs as she sits back in her rocking chair. "So, they've returned have they? Are there more of them this time? Anyone we know?"_

 _Cas jumps at the question. "Um. No."_

 _"_ _Have you encountered them before in the past, Frau. Wilhelm?" I inquire warily._

 _Audrey nods slowly, closing her eyes. She gets that same look on her face that Cas had on the train, like her memories are taking her to a dark place.  
"I suppose you could say that."_

 _"_ _What happened?" Cas inquires._

 _Her grandmother reopens her eyes. "Cas, go upstairs into the attic. You know that blue trunk with the silver clasps?"_

 _"_ _Yes."_

 _"_ _Open that one and pull out the big brown book with the leather cover. Go on," she flicks her hand in her direction._

 _Cas quickly jumps to her feet and sprints out of the room and up the stairs, her long white skirts swishing across the floor as she goes._

 _She leaves me alone with her grandmother. I stare into my lap; at the heaping pile of cookies she'd dumped there just a moment ago._

 _"_ _You're in love with my granddaughter, aren't you?"_

 _I jerk my head up as my heart leaps in my chest.  
"I-What? No! Um…" I stammer._

 _Audrey chuckles. "She's a hard nut to crack, but give it time, kid," she winks at me, and I'm instantly reminded me of Cas._

 _My heart flutters._

 _No. She was wrong. I wasn't in love with Cas. I'd never been in love with anyone before; I'd never even had a_ crush _on anyone before. True_ , _I did care about her, probably more than I'd ever cared about anyone else in my entire life, and I missed her when she wasn't around, and I wanted to spend every second of the day with her, and I thought she had the most beautiful red hair that I'd ever seen, and sometimes I'd lie awake at night and wouldn't stop thinking about her, but that didn't mean…_

 _Oh._

 _Well, what am I supposed to do with this information?_

 _"_ _I don't know if you know this, but Cas has had a pretty hard time of it," Audrey continues, her expression somber._

 _I slowly nod, licking my dry lips. "Yeah. I know."_

 _"_ _It was pretty bad, after Emma...things got dangerous._ She _got dangerous," Audrey shakes her head, a spark of vulnerability shining in her brown eyes. "I thought I was going to lose her. I knew the only thing that could bring her back from that dark place was finding purpose in the Order, in being an Exorcist, and I'd hoped." Audrey smiles sadly, "Well, I'd hoped she'd meet someone like you, and maybe she'd be happy again."_

 _She gets to her feet, and I instinctively shrink back against the couch._

 _"_ _So, thank you, boy."_

 _"_ _Oh, I-" I stammer, my mind still reeling._

 _Audrey chuckles as she points at the still full plate sitting on my knees. "Since you're not going to finish those, why don't you help me pack them away. We don't want them to spoil."_

 _"_ _Uh, sure," I stare down at the pile of Vienna cookies as though I'm seeing them for the first time. "Right."_

 _Audrey then picks up the tea things and I follow her into the tiny kitchen with the tray of sweets.  
There's barely enough room for a table and chairs and I have to sidle awkwardly around the fridge to get the cupboard and pull out a container._

 _A cuckoo clock striking three from above the stove makes me jump._

 _"_ _There we are," Audrey takes the container from me and tucks it into the fridge. Everything seems as neat as a pin._

 _I can't help but smile. I like Audrey; she's a little rough around the edges, but has a good interior._

 _Just like Cas._

 _I find myself wandering back into the kitchen as my thoughts drift back to her. Was it true? Was I really in love with Cas? What am I talking about? Shouldn't I be the first person to realize this?_

 _"Frau_ _. Wilhelm?" I call behind me as I stare blankly into the empty fireplace. "What makes you think I'm in love with Cas?"_

 _Audrey laughs as though it were obvious, "Because I caught you looking at her while she was talking about all those adventures you've had together. You were looking at her like she's the only thing you've ever wanted in the whole world. That kind of look you only give to one person, often only once in a lifetime."_

 _I turn to look at her. "Did your husband give that look to you?"_

 _Audrey's eyes drift over to one of the photos depicting the tired man with the tired eyes, tired but happy.  
"Yes, but I wasn't around enough to see it." She smiles through misted eyes as she picks up one of the pictures and gingerly touches the glass as though the image of her husband beneath it might wither away if she's not careful. "I have many regrets. I didn't take the time to love those who needed it. I spent all that time fighting a war, I forgot what it was I was fighting for."  
She looks at me, and her big brown eyes, so different from Cas's gold ones and yet so similar. "Never forget what you're fighting for, Allen Walker, or you'll be fighting for nothing at all."_

 _I look back at her, letting her words sink in before I slowly nod my head._

 _"_ _I didn't want Cas to have any regrets like me," Audrey continues, picking up another picture of a tiny, red-haired baby swaddled in a yellow blanket, giggling at the camera with big gold eyes, "That's why I pushed her on, forced her to keep going."_

 _I gape down at the photo. "Is that...?"_

 _"_ _Of course." She passes me the picture, and I gawk down at it._

 _It was hard to believe that chubby, smiling, innocent baby grew into the red-headed wild card I'd come to know and care for so deeply. It was like a different person entirely._

 _"_ _It's a good picture," I say dumbly as I set it back in its place on the mantle. I then spy a familiar face amidst the choir of images, and my heart drops into my shoes._

 _"_ _No way!" I snatch the frame out of the row and hold it close to my eyes, unable to contain my shock._

 _General Cross is smirking at me from behind the glass with the same wild red hair, glasses, floppy black hair, gold and black jacket and mischievous gleam in his scarlet eyes. Timcampy is even resting on his shoulder._

 _What might have been even more alarming than that, however, was that a red-headed toddler in a pink and white dress was sitting on his lap, holding a small black object and grinning wildly at the camera._

 _Audrey chuckles at my reaction. "Yep, that's Cross alright. He crashed Cas's fourth birthday party, asking for money, of course. I told him he couldn't have any unless he took a picture with the birthday girl and gave her a present. So he posed for the photo, gave Cas his cigarette lighter, and then left. I haven't seen him since."_

 _I couldn't believe it. What a strange instance._

 _Not only was Cross sitting with Cas on his lap, but she was in pink and frills and looked so young and sweet and again so different._

 _Although, there's something odd about the photo that I can't quite place. I continue to stare at it, trying to figure out what it is, but I'm interrupted when Cas suddenly reappears in the room, clutching a humongous book the size of an atlas_ _against her chest._

 _"_ _What I miss?" I nearly drop the picture as I whirl to face her, and my eyes widen as its like I'm seeing her with new eyes after Audrey's revelation._

 _Her hair is coming loose from its bun, and there's mud splattering the hem of her white dress; she looks tired but oddly content, and I see the faintest shadow of the young Cas from her grandmother's photos resting somewhere on her face.  
It's oddly comforting._

 _"_ _Ah, good, you brought the book." Audrey snaps me from my thoughts as she takes the large tome from her granddaughter and spreads it out on the coffee table._

 _"_ _Now, the Noah Clan is an ancient organization that has had their hands in almost every major event in human history."_

 _Cas raises an eyebrow. "Really? Then how come we've never known about them before?"_

 _"_ _Only the Order knows about them," her grandmother explains, "They're the only ones who can. Can you imagine the kind of panic that would erupt if the regular population knew about those creatures?"_

 _"_ _What exactly are they?" Allen inquires, "The one we met said they were human, but she sure didn't act like one, and why would a human side with the Earl and Akuma?"_

 _Audrey rounds on me. "You_ met _a Noah?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, a girl named Road," Cas explains. "Road Kamelot."_

 _Audrey looks thoughtful. "Doesn't sound familiar…Anyways, to answer your question, Allen, Noah could technically be considered human, but there is something more to it." She flips a page in the book and follows the passage with her finger. "I trust you are both familiar with story of Noah."_

 _Cas and I nod._

 _"_ _Good. Yes, Noah and his family are the only one's that survived the Great Flood that God sent to Earth to drown all the people of the world that had become wicked and corrupted. Therefore, technically speaking, you could consider all people of the world Noah's children, now couldn't you?"_

 _Cas tilts her head to the side. "Huh. I hadn't thought of that."_

 _"_ _Well, consider it because its true. Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wives were the only humans that lived. The wicked, the wretched, the twisted, and the evil were all banished in the flood, but the_ memories _," she pauses to look up at me and Cas, "The memories lived on, within the survivors. Noah and his family remembered those wicked beings and there dark and awful deeds, and they passed on their memories to their children and their children's children and so on."_

 _I feel oddly frightened. "What are you saying?"_

 _"_ _That's what a Noah is," Audrey declares, "A human with the memories of Noah awakened inside their minds, who recall all things wicked and dark. They are the pre-Flood beings, and yet they are the Flood themselves. They seek only to destroy, to drown this whole world in blood instead of water."_

 _"_ _But what decides who's a Noah and who isn't?" Cas demands._

 _Audrey shakes her head, her eyes haunted. "Nothing does. It's completely random. Every human being on the planet has the potential of being a Noah because every human being is a descendant of the man of the Ark."_

 _Cas and I exchange a glance. That's a horrifying idea._

 _"_ _Is it-" Cas speaks quietly, "Is it a choice?"_

 _"_ _No." Audrey asserts gravely, "It's no more a choice than having a lethal illness. It awakens inside a person, the Noah surfaces within that being without rhyme or reason, and after that process, they're changed. The memories take over, they swallow the person they once were and now the memories are in control. They are no longer the human they once were; they are now nothing but a living incarnation of Noah's memories."_

 _My stomach is churning; I feel like I might be sick at the notion. Cas seems to mirror my thoughts; her hand is clasped over her mouth, her eyes huge._

 _"_ _It truly is a horrifying consequence born of such a wicked world," Audrey concludes, slowly closing the large book and resting it on the couch._

 _"_ _Is there any way to reverse it?"_

 _Audrey falters slightly, "No. I don't believe there is, and I don't recommend you try it, Cas. Lord knows you'll never get close enough."_

 _Cas opens her mouth to respond, but a knock on the door makes her slam it shut._

 _We all jump in surprise. Grimm shatters the silence as he tumbles down the stairs, bellowing as he throws himself against the door._

 _"_ _Who could that be?" Audrey exclaims as she rushes across the room towards the front entrance. "Curses, and I'm all out of tea."_

 _Shoving Grimm aside, she pulls open the door and freezes almost instantly, hand still clasping the knob._

 _Beside me, I hear Cas breath in sharply._

 _There's a woman standing on the doorway. She's about my height, maybe a little shorter; she's wearing a robin's egg blue dress and has skin like porcelain with an expression that makes it look like she's as cold as it too. Her blonde hair is swept back into the tightest of buns with not a hair out of place. The eyes that flicker coldly around the room are a brilliant gold._

 _Cas's eyes._

 _Gold meets gold as the woman steps into the room._

 _She pushes past Audrey, who seems uncharacteristically quiet. Even Grimm has fallen silent._

 _The woman strides into the living room, stopping arbitrarily before the armchair, her eyes never wavering from Cas all the while._

 _Finally, she speaks:_

 _"_ _Hello, Cassandra."_

 _Cas's hands curl into fists. "Hello, mother."_

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry this chapter's a bit of an info-dump, but I hope you enjoyed having a lot of light shed on Cas's past and home life, which had only been hinted at in previous chapters. Also, this chapter marks the halfway point of this story (the first installment anyways) As always, read and review._


	24. Chapter 24

From: KijoKuroi  
Q: Yay mass update! Thanks for the chapters! They made me smile and laugh quite a bit. I especially enjoyed the sympathy/pity cookies for Allen from Cas's gran :) and the Kanda bonding from the earlier chapter!  
A: I'm glad you enjoyed. I was really excited to write 'Waterende' because I got to reveal so much. Cas/Allen interactions are certainly my favorite but Cas/Kanda is definitely a close second.

From: NinjaChipmunk  
Q: Is it terrible that I want Cas to end up with Tykki as badly as I want her to be with Allen? And wtf with the cliffhanger?! Not cool! And I have a sneaking suspicion as to who her father may be :)

A: No, not at all; I honestly feel the same way. Admittedly, I still haven't figured out an endgame yet since the canon story's still going. We'll have to see where things take us;) Sorry about the cliffhanger, have a chapter as recompense. As for you suspicions, we'll have to wait and see…

From: Shirokicchi  
Q: I don't know why but I ship Cas with everybody.. Oh yeah, One more thing, I hate Cas' mother and love her Grandmother

A: Ha! Yeah, I see where you're coming from there, and yeah Cas's mother is pretty horrible, but there's more to her story than meets the eye. I'm glad you enjoyed General Audrey Wilhelm as well :)

From: WaruWaru  
Q: So...

I kinda woke up at four AM from a nightmare, and somehow checked my mail while I was going to check the hour. You can guess what happened when I saw you had posted not one, but THREE chapters.  
Thanks god I like coffee.  
ANYWAYS. Something tells me that 'how everyone can pretty much turn into a Noah' speech is a foreshadowing to something that definitely will not be nice. And I'm not referring to Allen's plotline at all... Man, please, don't turn Cass into a Noah. Or do. It'd be interesting... (but **cking painful)  
You know, just ignore this little me and continue doing your thing. It's been awesome so far :v

A: Awww, sorry you had a nightmare:( I'm glad these chapters were able to make you feel better. Yes, the speech is foreshadowing something; the information Cas has learned from her grandmother will play an important role in the near future. As for her turning into a Noah…we'll see. Thanks so much for the lovely review.

From: RavenxX  
Q: WoW! finally an update! i have been waiting for this since 29/6. I checked in everyday to see if this got an update or not...i was clearly disappointed every time. But now when i clicked on the bookmark after a week I was really happy to see that this got THREE chapters at once, i was like "it was worth the effort, i am glad i was patient". Hey, i really thought you were gonna abandon this halfway. Well anyways, i read this whole story and its Fabulous! like Wow! you have done such a great job in describing each and every single scene. Its like i am watching this thing and not reading it. Thumbs up! Ah, and Cas is such an amazing character. She is NOT a damsel in distress which i really love about her. And as you say, she really fits into an adult's skin. Hats off to you! Oh, i like the idea that you are making her interact with other characters too. But i would love for this to be an AllenxCas story. I am not a fan of tyki so i didn't like that sudden moment with him... poor Allen. XD please can you add more AllenxCas scenes? i am rooting for Allen. and now that he has an idea about his feelings its even more awesome! Keep updating cuz i am always waiting... dont abandon it halfway its too good to be left! Thanks!

A: I'm sorry you had to wait for so long; thanks for being patient and sticking to it. Don't worry, I won't be abandoning this story; I'm having too much fun. I'm glad you like Cas so much, and have joined the pack of Allen/Cas shippers. I'll try to add more scenes between them:) Stay tuned.

From: FALLING-ANGEL24  
Q: I'm pretty damn sure I know who Cas' father is but I won't say anything lol  
A: I'm not saying anything either.

* * *

Chapter 24: The General's Chain

* * *

It's quiet enough in the room that you can hear a pin drop.

I'm standing rooted to the spot as I lock eyes with my mother for the first time in nearly four years.

She stares right back at me with a look in those golden irises, twin mirrors of my own, that had always been associated with when she was about to strike me.

I resist the urge to flinch back.

I'm inwardly anxious but still defiant.

Finally, Elizabeth speaks, "Mina and Helene told me that you were back in town. I'm rather surprised my own daughter didn't inform me she was paying Waterende a visit."

I laugh quietly. "Really? Are you _really_ all that surprised?"

Elizabeth's eyes flicker towards Allen, who's staring between us like he's afraid the burning force of our two eyes might meet in the middle and cause an explosion.

My mother glances his way, and he instantly stiffens. My eyes widen in surprise as Allen stares her down. He doesn't look afraid or even nervous. He looks furious.

"Well, at the very least you brought home a boy this time," my mother spat, before she scrutinizes Allen a little further. "You _are_ a boy, aren't you?"

"Leave, Allen alone, mother."

Elizabeth looks back over to me and smirks, "Well, where are you getting that tone from, Cassandra? It almost sounds like a threat."

"You can't scare me, mom. Not anymore. It's been nearly four years and I've changed a lot, more than you'll ever know."

Elizabeth chuckles. "All grown up and out in the world, confident enough to threaten your own mother. You think you know how things work? You don't know anything. All those years I raised you, cared for you, worked to put clothes on your back and food in your stomach, and all you did was waste my kindness."

"Kindness!" My voice cracks without my intending, "You locked me in the attic for three days because I wouldn't wear a dress to Church!"

"It was the only way I could stamp out that stubborn streak!" Elizabeth thunders back, "All those years you resisted, you punished me. Did you _like_ being different, being odd, and unusual. Look at all the pain it brought you! If you had just listened to me, if had understood that I knew best, then you maybe wouldn't be so unhappy."

The anger inside me explodes outward, visibly taking shape in my burning Blood as it rips free of my dress, shredding the skirt and popping the corset. Elizabeth's eyes widen in horror as she takes the barest of steps backwards, having never seen my Anti-Akuma Weapon in full before.

I stand there, fluid tentacles snapping around my body as I clench my fists so hard I draw more Blood from my nails. "This is me, mom!" I scream, "Take it or leave it! Preferably, leave it like I left you!"

Before Elizabeth could respond, I've walked past her, trailing the tattered remains of my dress behind me as I walk towards the still open door. My grandmother is standing beside it with Grimm. I pause next to her.

"Thanks for your help, Grandma; it was good to see you again."

The former General gives me the barest of smiles. "Go get 'em, girl."

"Cassandra!" I don't turn around at my mother's call as I step through the door and stalk down the pathway. The sky is steely above my head, the atmosphere bleak with the dark promise of more rain.

"Cas!" I hardly hear Allen racing after me, pausing to grab the suitcases we'd left in the garden.

I march down the dirt road, the tattered, Bloody remains of my dress trailing behind me. The rain starts to fall, but I ignore the drops splattering across the shredded fabric and trailing through my loosened hair.

My anger creates a haze around me through which nothing can reach; I'm numb, number than I'd been in months, so desperate not to feel for fear my Blood might rip me apart from the inside.

My heart burns.

A clap of thunder shatters the glass cage around me, and I jerk my head skyward. The rain pours down in torrents, splattering the dirt with a noise like distant applause.

It soaks through the ripped tresses of my dress, leaving them sticking to my soggy tights that I don't even care are exposed between the slashed fabric.

I glance up, and my cold heart lets out the barest of tremors when I realize where I am. My feet have carried me here, like some force greater than myself has moved me forward.

"Cas, wait up!" Allen rushes up behind me, panting slightly. He stops just short of my back, "What is it…Oh." His voice trails off as he takes in the scene before us, bleeding out of the rain.

It's a lot where a house had once stood; the ground is scorched and blackened, ash choking the soil so nothing can grow. There's a perfect square of destruction amidst lingering shreds of timber, like an empty eye socket gaping out at the world.

The air tastes sour in my mouth, and the rain is so cold it burns.

I somewhat feel Allen beside me; I don't look at him as he steps forward to stand at my shoulder.  
He doesn't say anything.

The rain continues to hum in my ears as I slowly walk forward towards the very edge of the lot, stopping just short of the burned ground as though there's an invisible barrier separating me from the place the house had once stood.

I kneel down and touch the dirt; I don't expect it to be cold under my touch. My Blood churns in my mind, mixing with the rumble of thunder.

I close my eyes, trying to imagine what might have once been here: was it the front door? The parlor?  
I can't recall. The images are blurry around the edges like wet photographs, soaked by the rain and the passage of time.

Almost four years. The wounds still ache like it has only been four days.

I whisper something to the dark soil, something my ears can't hear, and my mind can't understand. A word spoken from my Innocence heart, an emotion so deep and so profound that it dares not let me express it. But for a moment, I feel that warmth in my bones that had been with me when Emma was alive, before she'd burned, and her ashes had frozen my heart over.

Cold as the rain.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Allen and I whirl around to see a tall, lanky lad standing in the middle of the dirt road as it slowly turned to mud. He's leaning casually against some invisible force, his hands in the pockets of his worn overcoat. His lax position compliments his laid back smile set against a handsome face with sparkling blue eyes and tousled blonde hair that creates a kind of casual attractiveness.

It's Erich, the boy I'd had a crush on when I was ten years old, but who only had eyes for Emma. The boy that glimpsed us kissing in the apple orchard that one fall night, the night that changed everything, that marked the beginning of the end.

"What hole did you crawl out of?" Erich continues, striding forward.

I can't respond; my lungs are as cold as my heart.

The rain pounds the earth around us, like the fists of a crowd of eager onlookers egging us on.

I drop my eyes as the icy drops trail through my loosening hair. "Hello, Erich."

The boy snorts. "Is that all you have to say? Is that all you _can_ say? Are you too guilty for anything else?" I glance up as that lazy smile curls into a venomous smirk. "I know what you did. I know what you've always done. Here. In this place," he points at the burned lot behind us. "You let her die."

Allen steps between us. "Leave her alone."

"Kid, don't bother," I say quietly, heaving myself to my feet and gently brushing past him, standing before Erich.

"I know you loved Emma, but what good is fucking with me going to do? We're both in pain, let's just leave it at that. What's this going to accomplish?"

On a different day, a different place, I might have fought back, but my fatigue from the experiences of the afternoon, the weight of Waterende, made me reasonable, made me somber, like hangover.

But Erich just keeps laughing, the longer and the louder it lasts, the more unhinged it becomes, and my insides constrict at the sound. "Oh, it'll accomplish at least one thing."

"Cas, move!" Allen confirms my suspicions, "He's an Akuma!"

He shoves me aside before I have time to react just as Erich's caterwauling turns to a scream, and the flesh rips from his hollow corpse. The Akuma sprouts from his scalp like a blooming flower, blackened and bloated.

There's a flash of green light, and a crack like a whip as I hit the ground, mud splattering my face. I blink rapidly as I try to get my bearings just as the Akuma explodes as Allen's arm crashes into it, slicing it apart and causing it to collapse into a pile of dust.

Mere moments later, it melts into the wet dirt and vanishes.

I lie on the ground, gasping, soaked the to skin and possibly shaking, but I can't really be cold.

I don't see Allen until he's standing right in front of me, holding out his hand. "Hey, come on. Let's get out of here."

I look at the hand and then at him as though I'm seeing him for the first time. He's as wet as me, his hair sticking to his scalp looks almost grey in the dim light.

He smiles. I return it halfheartedly as I grasp his wrist and allow him to pull me to my feet.

Back at my full height, I once again find myself looking down at him through the four inches of distance between us, my long red hair falling in front of my face.

Allen regards me thoughtfully as he looks up at me. I probably look a mess and can't help but feel slightly embarrassed as I stand there in tattered clothing that's sopping wet.

He chuckles as he slowly reaches up and brushes a thick strand of hair that had fallen from my bun behind my ear. Most of my hair has come tumbling from the twist, cascading in heaps around my shoulders. "There." Allen smiles reassuringly, "Now you look more like your old self again."

I'm taken aback at his words, and I don't really know why.

"Come on," I say, before I can ponder it further, moving past him and back onto the road that would lead back to downtown and the train station. "We need to call the Order."

Allen nods, rushing forward to keep up with me. I pause for a mere second, casting a glance over my shoulder at the remains of Emma's house, nothing more than a hole in the ground.

Allen's gloved fingers brush my wrist. "It's not your fault."

I smile grimly. "I know."

But I don't know. I can't know, and neither can he.

* * *

I sit on a bench with a roof on the back of the train station platform, out of the rain. Allen's inside the tiny building on the phone with Komui. He'd given me his coat because my clothes are virtually rags at this point; I can't fit my arms through it, so I just sit with my knees pulled into my chest, clasping it around my shoulders.

"So, you're leaving then?"

I jump, jerking my head to my right just as my grandmother sits down beside me. She's back in her sun hat and gardening gloves with the added bonus of a canary yellow raincoat. Grimm leans heavily against the bench, jostling it slightly under his weight.

I cross my arms, turning away from her, "Where's Elizabeth?"

"I don't like it when you call your mother by her first name, Cassandra."

I bristle. "You know why I do it."

My grandmother sighs, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I am leaving" I eventually answer her question, turning my gaze back towards the empty train tracks.

Such a familiar sensation to see those curving bolts, the same metal as the day I'd left this place, as the days before then when I used to watch the train wiz by our town along them, never stopping.

Why would it? No one ever came to Waterende, and no one ever left.

Except me.

"I don't know when I'll be coming back."

My grandmother shrugs. "I wouldn't blame you if you never did."

I look at her, startled. She drops her eyes, a sad smile on her lips.

"This town has never been good for you; I knew that from the moment I met you and saw that faint glow on your chest. The Order is good for you; I can see that now. There's a little bit more color in your cheeks when you came back here than when you left three and a half years ago."

I snort, "I'm pretty sure that's just the Blood, Grandma."

She laughs as she places an arm around my shoulders. "I'll always be here for you, if you ever need anything at all, but I don't want you to hold on to this town and what happened in it. Don't tether your wings to the past, let your heart soar and come into yourself fully. You're meant to do great things; God has seen to it. That's why he put Innocence in your heart."

I look down at her as Grimm gingerly licks my hand.  
"I have to hold on to some things, Grandma," I admit, pulling back my sleeves one at a time to expose the words 'Never' and 'Forget' tattooed on my forearms. "The past can't be changed, and it should never be forgotten. It's where I came from, it's shaped me, and now I must steer myself forward with what I know and what I've learned from it."

My grandmother smiles at me. "Then you do that, girl."

I jump as Grimm barks, his voice booming. I look at him, and he's smiling dopily, thumping his tail back and forth.

I chuckle, scratching him behind the ears, and he whines pleasurably.

"Cas, there's something else." I turn back to my grandmother as she pulls out the large brown book she'd read from at her house. "You remember how this book works, right?"

I nod. "You said you got it on a mission; that it was called the 'Eyes of God', and it will reveal certain things to the person who owns it, but no one else can read it."

My grandmother nods as she opens the book and lightly flips through the pages; she only gets through a few before she stops when the pages appear to be glued together, "But it doesn't show everything at once. After all, unheeded knowledge of the universe is a dangerous and powerful thing. Just look at the Fruit of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. It's why we humans aren't meant to know the future."

"Why are you telling me these things?"

"Because, Cas, I don't want you to do something stupid with the knowledge you've learned."

My eyes widen in alarm. "Grandma, I'm not-" I stammer.

She looks at me pointedly, "Cas, you've known of this book your entire life, and you asked me for knowledge of the Noah from it. What are you planning to do with that information?"

I shrug forcefully. "I don't know. I just wanted to learn more, 'know your enemy', right?"

My grandmother bites her lip. "Cas, you are a healer, and what you can do is an amazing thing that has and will help so many people, but I don't want your healing abilities to make you think that you _can_ save everyone, that you need to try and fix them."

She reaches up to touch the side of my face, "There are some things in life that simply can't be fixed. As Mother Teresa says, you need to have the wisdom to know the difference. Solomon prayed for it for a reason, after all. Promise me you'll remember that."

I sigh heavily as I look at her, her large eyes shining with earnest

"I will, Grandma."

My grandmother nods. "Good girl."

At that moment, Allen reappears, holding his arm over his head to shield himself from the rain.

"Do you want your coat back?" I ask as he approaches us.

"No, I'm fine; listen, I just completed my report to Komui, and we've got another assignment."

I raise an eyebrow, "Already? What?"

"We're supposed to deliver a package to General Kevin Yeegar. It's being sent to Holland where he was last seen; apparently, he's been off the grid, so the Order can't mail it to him directly."

"Couldn't they just send a Finder to do it?"

Allen shrugs. "That's what I said, but apparently General Yeegar wants to meet us."

"Huh."

My grandmother smiles, "Kevin Yeegar; I haven't heard from him in years. How is he?"

Allen and I exchange a glance.  
"We've never met him."

"Ah, I see," my grandmother suddenly turns rather serious. "Well, then you should know that General Yeegar is the oldest of the living Black Order Generals, including me. He demands respect at his age, and as you must understand, when one gets old they can become rather…"

"Eccentric?" I offer.

"Well, 'more focused on certain things', is a better way to put it. Keep your wits about you, and especially your manners, General Yeegar is very particular about such things."

Allen looks confused while I grimace.

"Especially you, Cassandra," my grandmother adds pointedly, "I have heard from many a schoolmate that you have the mouth of a linguistically accomplished sailor. Where you learned such crude language, I'll never know."

"Oh, here and there," I reply offhandedly just as the train whistle breaks through the curtains of the rain. I get to my feet as it pulls in front of the platform. "We should probably get going. Onward to Holland."

Allen sighs. He looks about as keen to go on this mission as me.

"The best of luck to the both of you," my grandmother calls to us as she and Grimm follow us to the open train car (we're the only one's climbing on board). "And remember what I said, Cas." She adds.

I nod, pulling my borrowed coat tighter around myself.

Allen jumps over the threshold, eager to escape it as well. I grip the handle to pull myself on board but falter when I feel my grandmother's hand on my shoulder.  
"Be careful, Cas," she whispers so only I can hear.

I turn and give her a reassuring smile. "Yes, Grandma."

With that, I climb the rest of the way into the car, and the train starts moving. I turn and brace myself against the doorframe with one hand, waving to my grandmother and Grimm with the other.

"Goodbye. See you later!" I call.

My grandmother and Grimm run along the platform as the train slithers away from the station, steadily picking up speed as it breaks through the rain and wind.  
"Goodbye, Cas. Good luck. Oh! One more thing." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small, black object. She hurls it at me just as the train is about to slip from her reach.  
"Here!" she yells over the storm as I catch it, "So you don't run out of matches anymore."

I open my palm and glance down to see a sleek black cigarette lighter resting in it, engraved in gold along the side are the initials CM.

Allen peers at it over my shoulder. "Is that?"

I nod, tucking the object into my pocket. "The lighter Cross gave me. Handy."

"Hey, you kids!" the conductor barks from the other end of the car, "Shut that damn door. You're letting in the storm."

Allen flushes. "Uh, sorry, sir." He stammers as I pull the car door close and, grabbing our bags, we make our way through the empty train car to our first class compartment.

* * *

"You know, I never would have thought that being an Exorcist would consist of five percent Innocence hunting, ten percent Akuma killing, and seventy-five percent train rides."

My only response is the train whistling over our heads. I glance up from my spot curled up on the compartment bench, absentmindedly playing with my new lighter to see that Allen has apparently not heard me. Perhaps, he's still embarrassed about his flubbed attempt to order lunch in German.  
He's looking out the window, the rain makes the sky dark even though it's only three o'clock, and his reflection is vaguely visible against the soaked glass.

"Are you alright?" I inquire, clambering out of my seat and scooting closer to him. I'm a lot nimbler now that I've changed out of my destroyed dress into a button down shirt, black slacks with a matching vest and a gold cravat; my still damp hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

"Yeah," Allen replies distractedly, gingerly brushing his fingers across the left side of his face. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply.

"Is your eye hurting you?" I ask.

"A little bit."

"Here. Let me see." I hold out my hand, urging him to turn around. He does so, and I brush his bangs out of his eyes, tilting his chin upwards, so I can get a better looked at the cursed eye.  
"Tell me when it hurts," I urge, softly pressing at the skin around it.

"Ah!"

"I take it that hurts." I retract my hand, rubbing at his cheek soothingly with the other.

"It's gotten darker," Allen remarks, pointing to the scar, "It looks more like an Akuma mark now."

I look at him to see that this is indeed true.  
"That's weird. Aren't scars supposed to do the opposite of that?"

Allen nods. "Yeah."

I sigh, "I wish there was something I could do, but all my attempts to heal that eye in the past haven't done anything."

"It's alright," Allen assures me. "It's not that big of a deal. Sorry, what were you saying befor?"

I shake my head, "Nothing."

"I saw your Grandmother had that big book with her again at the station," Allen observes, "What is it exactly. It looks so ordinary, but it feels like there's something more to it."

"Yeah, it's tethered to her soul actually." I explain, scooting back over to pick it up. "She's had it as long as I can remember. She got it on an assignment in the Middle East before I was born; I think that book might know just about everything, but it only reveals stuff when its opened by the person who owns it, and only certain things at certain times."

Allen's eyes widen. "That's crazy."

I nod. "Yeah. I figured that it would know something about the Noah, which is why I asked."

"Why did you want to find out more anyways?"

I hesitate, remembering the talk I'd just had with my grandmother.

"I just wanted to know. It felt important," I eventually reply as I shift back to my seat and pull my knees into my chest. "It's some pretty messed up stuff; my grandmother didn't tell us everything. I was reading over her shoulder, and it said that the transformation for a human into a Noah is long and incredibly painful. They are accounts of priests and Exorcists holding people down as they screamed and writhed, tethering them to beds as their organs burned and their skin gushed blood."

Allen looks ashen. "That's horrible."

I nod. "Yeah."

"I didn't think the Earl could do anything worse to a human than turning them into an Akuma."

"The most sickening thing about it is that, after its all said and done, they _want_ to be the way they are. It's like the new Noah's never known anything different."

Allen grimaces.

Before, we can say anything further, our food comes, and that takes priority over talking.  
As I stuff my face with a steak and cheese sandwich, my eyes wander to the window as the train rushes towards Holland.

Was it my imagination or was there a black butterfly sitting on the windowsill just now?

* * *

Our train arrived in Holland late that night, so we found a hotel to crash in after picking up the package from the post office. We were set to meet one of General Yeegar's Finders in downtown the following morning.

I didn't get much sleep; my dreams were full of blood and screaming and black butterfly wings.

Allen had to drag me out of bed the next morning, which I was not happy about, and then I had to do my hair and makeup, which he was not happy about.

Eventually, we made it to downtown, and are currently sitting on a bench, waiting for the Finder to appear.

I kick up dust with the toe of my boot, clicking the lighter on and off.

"Would you stop that?" Allen hisses. He sounds tense.

"Don't be so touchy," I chide, flicking the lighter open one last time and holding it to my pipe. I blow out a puff of smoke and gaze at our surroundings.

Holland can pretty much be summed up in windmills and tulips because that's pretty much all there is. However, the scenery is picturesque, the weather having calmed.

Allen has picked one of the flowers and is proceeding to pull the petals off one at a time, letting them fall into the dirt at his feet.

"Why are you so nervous?" I inquire, blowing more smoke out from between my lips.

"My experiences with Order Generals have never been very good ones," Allen mumbles to his shoes.

I nod in understanding; I don't know too much about the few years Allen spent with General Cross, but considering how he reacts whenever someone brings it up, it can't have been pretty.

"You liked my grandmother alright," I reminded him, plucking a handful of yellow tulips out of the ground and began twisting the stems.

Allen grimaces, "Yeah, but she's still a little…" he trails off.

"Scary?"

"Yeah."

I snort. "Believe me. I get it."

"And considering what your grandmother said about General Yeegar…"

"Don't sweat it, Allen," I cut him off as I drop the twisted flowers into his hair, having made a little crown. "We've just got to drop off the package and leave, that's all."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Allen glances up as the flower crown slips further down his brow. "What are you doing?"

"You look cute."

Allen flushes heavily.

"Oh, relax; it's not that emasculating," I scoff, plucking the flowers from his head and dowsing my pipe in them, letting the smoking petals fall behind the bench. "Oh, by the way. See this?" Allen glances towards me as I pull back my sleeve to show I had a rubber band pulled around it like a bracelet. "If I'm about to swear in front of General Yeegar, snap me with it."

Allen looks taken aback. "Uh, alright."

"You must be Allen Walker and Cassandra Williams."

We both jump and whirl around to see a tall, broad-shouldered Finder with scruffy brown hair and beard standing behind us.

"Uh, yeah." Allen quickly replies. "Are you the Finder that was sent to meet us?"

The man nods. "My name is Tiery; I'm a Finder assigned to the General."

"I see. Well, we're on courier mission to deliver a package to him." I add, holding up the black box we'd picked up from the post office. "Got it right here."

Tiery laughs nervously. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry to say, but the General is no longer here. He left for Belgium early yesterday morning, apparently there was Innocence discovered in the area."

Allen grimaces. "Belgium?"

"Are you serious?" I add.

Tiery smiles cheerfully. "Don't worry about it; the border's not too far from here."

Allen heaves a sigh. "Well, let's get back on the train."

"Actually, I don't believe the next train will be coming for another two hours yet," Tiery asserts. "We'll have to sit and wait."

I grumble, pressing the package against my chest. "Stupid General Yeegar," I growl under my breath, "I'm sick of trains. I want to go home and eat Jeryy's food and sleep in a god dam-Ow!"

I recoil as Allen reaches over and snaps me with the rubber band.  
"What was that for?"

Allen grins cheekily. "Just practicing."

Revenge for the flower crown.

Tiery looks between us, visibly confused.

We eventually make it back to the train station and sit on a bench, settling in for our long wait.

Tiery sits between Allen and me as I lean against the station building, crossing my limbs and smoking my pipe.

"Tiery," Allen says after a pause, "We were told that the General is strict when it comes to manners, do you find that to be the case?"

The Finder chuckles. "Yeah, I mean, sometimes he can be a stickler for table manners and proper language."

Allen reaches over and kicks me pointedly; I scowl at him.

"But I've worked around him long enough to know that he's a really nice guy," Tiery continues.

Allen gapes at him. "What? He's a _nice_ guy? The _General_?"

Tiery nods. "General Yeegar is a wise and capable leader; he's knows a wide variety of subjects and teaches us about them. For instance, do you know the species of the butterfly that's sitting on your shoulder, Cas?"

"Gah!" I nearly fall off the bench, flapping my arms wildly as the tiny orange and black insect flutters off my body. Tiery holds out his finger, and it alights on the tip. "I'll take that as a no. The General taught me that this particular butterfly is a type of nymphalid found in parts of Europe and Western Asia."

"The General sounds like he knows a lot of stuff," I remark.

Tiery nods. "Yes, he acts as a kind of mentor to us all. I've heard that before he joined the Order, he was a school teacher, so I suppose it's just natural for him." As he speaks, the butterfly lifts off from his finger and twirls through the air, dancing with Timcampy as he bobs about.

Allen smiles, this insight seems to have settled his thoughts. "The General sounds like a good man. I look forward to meeting him."

* * *

One bumpy train ride later, we arrive in a sooty mining town nestled in a valley of rocky terrain. The sky is as black as night from smoke, making everything appear covered in shadows. The roads are packed dirt beneath our feet, and the houses are slabs of metal nestled between the mining equipment that blasts smoke into the sky, clogging the atmosphere.

There isn't a soul around; the village seems deserted.

Beside me, Allen chokes forcefully.

"You gonna live?" I joke, rubbing his shoulder as he coughs into his fist.

"Y-Yeah," he looks at me. "I take it this doesn't really bother you?"

I squeeze his shoulder. "Nope."

"You're not still mad about me snapping the rubber band, are you?"

I shrug. "I'm over it; it's what I told you to do."

"Come on, you two," Tiery calls to us as we'd lagged behind.

"So, there's Innocence in this town?" Allen asks as we race to catch up.

"Yes," the Finder replies, "We're certain; however, the location of General Yeegar is still up in the air."

"Great," I murmur.

"If only there was someone around for us to ask," Allen remarks.

As if on cue, we both catch a glimpse of what appears to be a little girl with a dirty face standing at the window of one of the shack houses. As we look, a woman pulls her out of view and closes the shutters.

"We need to find Yeegar quickly," I declare.

Allen nods, turning to Tiery. "If he's still in the town, we can contact him on wireless golem."

Tiery shakes his head. "That's the trouble, General Yeegar doesn't have a golem anymore." He points at the black box I'm holding. "I had assumed the package you were delivering was a replacement."

I set the box down and open it to find myself staring at the blank white eye of an Order golem.  
"Yep." I look at Allen, "What now?"

"Is there any other way to contact the General?" he asks Tiery.

"Well, if he's spoken to the Order recently, he may have informed them of his whereabouts. We could call Headquarters and find out."

"We don't have time to contact Headquarters," Allen asserts, "There's an Akuma in this town."

Tiery's eyes widen. "How do you know?"

"The way the people are acting," I explain, "They're terrified."

"Evidently, the Innocence the General's tracked down has also drawn Akuma." Allen declares. Seconds later, I see his eye activate, glowing black and red as the monocle gears turn.

"Where is it?" I ask as tendrils of Blood start slithering out of my clothes.

Allen just takes off running, sprinting down the town's single main road. Tiery and I run after him, nearing the edge of the village in just a few minutes.

Up ahead there's a quarry with high, sloped walls on all sides.

Standing in the center of the dirt lot is a Level II Akuma. He's cackling madly as a bunch of Level Is hovering overhead fire down on an elderly man with long white hair and moustache wearing a familiar black and gold coat.

"There he is!" Tiery says of the old man.

"Allen," I grab his arm as the sky comes alive with Akuma bullets.

The boy gasps as they hit the ground around the General, erupting in bursts of ash.

The dust obscures our vision for merely a few seconds before a thick chain slices through the cloud like a whip. It snags one of the Akuma and throws it into another; they both explode as a second chain coils around a third monster and hurls it into the side of the cliff.

Allen is in awe. "Amazing."

"You don't know when to quit; I'm through showing you mercy, old man!" the Level II screeches as the remaining Akuma pounce on Yeegar.

Allen bolts forward, pulling off his glove and revealing his weapon. I'm right on his heels as he slices through the first of the creatures. I harden my Blood into a spear and cut through another.

Allen morphs his Weapon into a gun, firing two rounds which explode around their target.

The General's chains multiply, and he takes out five at once.

"Cas, look out!" I turn in time to slice through an Akuma looming behind me before I keep running with my arm outstretched, dragging the Blood through one tormented body after another, each one erupting in my wake.

"No! No! NO!" the Level II screeches, "Bastards!" He lets out a roar as his own poisonous bullets fire from his chest.

The General spins his chains, deflecting them before coiling the iron rope around the Akuma's body, pinning its arms to its sides.  
"Any last words?"

The Akuma giggles. "I should say the same to you, old man!" He suddenly wriggles free and leaps into the air, his armored chest unfurling to reveal a massive cannon barrel. He fires a blast at the General, who's barely able to dive out of the way.

"Cas, hold him!"  
At Allen's words, I reform my Blood into coils and shoot them outwards, wrapping them around the Akuma's arms and legs.

He shrieks in a mixture of pain and anger as he veers back, dragging me unceremoniously across the quarry as I dig my heels in trying to hold steady.  
"Any time, Allen!" I call through gritted teeth.

"I got it!"  
The blast sails over my head and strikes the Level II in the chest. It pulls backward with a scream, throwing me forward, as it dissolves in a ball of ash and fire.

"Alright! Oh, shit-Oof!" My happiness is short lived as I smack into the quarry wall.

I flop on my back as my Blood evaporates. Well, that was embarrassing.

"Cas!" I glance upwards to see Allen rushing over to me. I feel hot Blood on my face and know I have a nosebleed. "Are you alright?" He stoops to help me to my feet.

"I'm fine," I wave away his concern as I see over his shoulder the General bending to pick up the shard of Innocence the Akuma had dropped when it'd died.

He turns to face us, fractal in hand. "I take it you two are Allen Walker and Cassandra Williams. I would like to thank you both for aiding me; it was very brave."

Allen blushes. "Oh, it was nothing."

"Happy to do it," I add, resisting the urge to curse as I press my hand to my nose, soaking my glove with Blood.

The General eyes me with surprising concern. "You're injured."

"Oh, it's nothing. Really!" I insist thickly as my nose continues to drip Blood, seemingly denouncing my assertion's credibility. "I'm fine. This happens all the time."

"It really does," Allen adds.

"That was incredible, sir," I add, changing the subject, "Taking on that many Akuma at once and managing to reclaim the Innocence."

The General's face darkens.  
"At a price," he looks back towards the city, still and silent, frozen with fear.

Without another word, he starts walking back towards the village.  
Allen, Tiery, and I all follow, the latter handing me a handkerchief to stop the bleeding.

As we reenter the town, its citizens slowly emerge from their tiny homes, all of them looking a little worse for wear.

"Good people of this town," the General addresses the crowd as we approach, "If we had acted sooner, the loss of life in this town would not have been so many, and for that," he stoops a humble bow, "I deeply apologize."

A burly man steps forward. "An apology isn't necessary, sir, because you reacted at all, many more lives have been saved."

"We appreciate all you've done for us from the bottom of our hearts," adds a woman with a little girl clutching at her skirts, the same one I recognize from the window earlier. "We will forever be in your debt."

Allen and I exchange a glance; we smile.

* * *

General Yeegar lives in a gigantic carriage that is, in some ways, something more like a house on wheels. It's got a table and two couches with a little stove in the corner. The General sets about grilling steak on the latter while Tiery, Allen, and I are told to sit down and take a breather.

I'm more than grateful for that, my whole body hurts after face planting into that wall. If my face could get any redder, it probably would be.

"Cassandra Williams, is there any relation to former General Audrey William, by any chance?" General Yeegar says after a pause as he continues to poke at the grilling meat.

It smells heavenly.

"Yeah," I reply, "She's my grandmother."

The General casts me an over the shoulder glance. "Really? You don't look much like her. You look more like…" he trails off and goes back to his food.

Allen gives me a funny look. I shrug.

He's right. People have been saying for years how I don't resemble my grandmother or mother at all (with the exception of the eyes in the latter case). I guess I pull all my genetics from my father, height included.

"Regardless, you draw from her in other elements, your skill and technique on the battlefield are very reminiscent of her. She was an accomplished and formidable fighter. You've also got her good sense of humor about it too."

I flush, feeling my still kind of Bloodied nose.

"My grandmother said you're old friends, sir," I finally say.

"We were; in fact, she was the one that recruited me into the Order."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?" I'm about to ask what circumstances brought about that, but General Yeegar turns his attention to Allen.

"And Allen Walker, I understand you were General Cross's apprentice, is that right?"

"Yes, I was."

"I hear training under him can be hellacious."

Allen laughs nervously. "Yeah, it was…But don't take that the wrong way, it was worth it! I appreciate everything Master Cross did for me," he quickly adds, scrambling.

I snicker into my hand.

Yeegar chuckles. "Cross is an interesting fellow; as a human being, he needs some work and lacks a variety of social graces, but no one is more attuned to the extermination of Akuma. I believe that's why he made you his apprentice, because you've housed Innocence in your body since birth." Yeeger continues to poke the steaks as he continues, "As you already know, we Generals carry several pieces of Innocence with us at all times in order to seek worthy Accommodators. For instance, including the piece I collected today, I now have eight shards."  
The General sighs as he turns from the stove with a plate brimming with juicy, well-cooked steaks and begins passing them out to the three of us, "I don't know how many more pieces I can have in my possession before I myself become a target, nor how many Accommodators I may be able to find with the little time I have left in this world. However, for the sake of the war, I must continue the quest for the pieces of the God Crystal. Now, please, eat," he concludes, sitting down next to Tiery, across from Allen and me, "This is how I show my appreciation."  
He gestures to the table full of food.

"General, we didn't do anything to deserve such kindness," Allen insists.

"If anything, you helped us as much as we helped you," I add.

"This isn't merely a thanks for saving me," the General asserts, "But also for becoming an Exorcist and enduring its hardships."

Hardships. I think back to my grandmother, how she never saw her husband or daughter, or how I had become so disconnected from this world and the people in it during my training, or the awful things Allen had to endure while training under General Cross.  
"Though you are members of the Order, it is often difficult to deal with horrors of war, especially as young as you both are," General Yeegar continues, "The least you deserve for making such a profound sacrifice to the Order is having a good meal every once and a while."

Allen looks floored, "Thank you, General Yeegar."

"Yes, thank you," I add.

"Well, don't let me stop you," the General spread his arms wide, "Dig in."

So we did. Allen wolfs down his steak in about ten seconds and starts on another. I have about three helpings of salad before attacking my piece. I move onto my second slice of meat while Allen starts on his third.

"This is delicious!" I commend, "Sure beats train food."

"Best meal I've ever had," Allen agrees.

"I'm glad you like it," the General smiles while Tiery stars in awe of me and Allen shoveling food down our throats like we're bottomless pits.

"Unbelievable."

"It's quite common for the hosts of Parasite-type Innocence to have abnormally large appetites," Yeegar explains to him.

"Allen, give me the salad bowl back. I wasn't done with it."

"Sorry, there's none left."

I falter, glancing about the settings, which had suddenly grown sparse. "Oops. Sorry, we cleared the table."

"Don't worry about it," the General replies, waving his hand as he gets up to place some more steak on the skillet, "Eating an abundant amount of food is a huge compliment to a cook; so please, eat as much as you like."

I bump Allen's shoulder. "Looks like Tiery was right about Yeegar," I whisper.

He nods enthusiastically. "He really is a nice guy. Sir, you must have been a wonderful teacher," he adds a little louder, so the General can hear him, "I'm sure all of your students couldn't wait to get to class to learn from the best."

A cold feeling suddenly washes over me, making me nearly choke on my drink, but it's not the iced tea, but rather a sense of deep, dark pain that has sprouted in the pit of my stomach.

I glance over at the General; his back is to me, so I can't see his face, but I know it's coming from him.

"Actually, I wasn't a good teacher by any stretch of the imagination."

Allen falters.

"Because…" the General takes a deep breath as he turns back around, "I wasn't able to protect them at a time when my students needed me the most."

"What happened?" I whisper, partially fearing to even ask the question. I squeeze my eyes shut, slightly overwhelmed.

"It happened nearly forty years ago, although it seems like yesterday," I hear General Yeegar's voice. "I was in a small village in the country working a teacher in their only elementary school."

Before my eyes, I can suddenly see the images melt into clarity: a tiny, one roomed building all made of wood with little benches and little desks for little bodies to rest on all in a row.  
It reminds me of my school house in Waterende.

"I had just under twenty students," Yeegar continues, "Which enabled me to give each of them my undivided attention. They responded quite well to this, and we formed a strong bond."

A sea of smiling faces, rosy cheeks and shining eyes. The room full of youth, of wonder, the aura of knowledge flowing through the air as a much younger Yeegar, light haired and with no lines on his smiling face, hands out lessons from his spot on the chalkboard.

The scene is bright, but partly cloudy; there is a shadow over the memory's sun.

"However, it wasn't long before tragedy struck our class. It changed us all forever."

The clouds thicken, everything turns grey.

"A female student passed away suddenly from a serious illness."

The image changes to a scene of the class all huddled together in a crowd of black and mournful tears around a tiny gravestone, too small. They're all two small.

"Everyone in the class mourned her death, but no one felt more pain than her best friend: Joanne."

The tiniest of them all and mousy-haired is crouched before the gravestone, sobbing with a sound no child should ever make, her face buried in her hands.

 _Lucy! Oh, Lucy. Why? Why did you have to go?_

That sound, those tears, that brown hair. It's like Emma at her sister's funeral.

I feel sick, my full stomach turns.

"The day after, _he_ took advantage of her. The Millennium Earl returned Joanne's friend's soul and turned them both into an Akuma. However, no one had known. How could they? Her friends were all just happy to see Joanne return to school after her long absence of grieving for her friend."

A corpse walks into the classroom, a stain upon the wholesome scene; more than a dozen little souls, their light shining so bright its almost blinding rush up to meet the cadaver with its cold, black eyes.

 _Joanne, are you feeling better?_

 _Hey, Joanne, you look a little pale._

 _Don't worry, we'll help cheer you up._

It happens so fast: screams, blood, cries, yells, snarls as claws rip flesh, hot flesh, young flesh, blood on the chairs, on the walls, the little souls cry out in agony as their lights go out, the neat little rows full of faces are now a pile of skin and bones on the ground. The blood is stinking, rotting in my nose and in my mouth.

I feel dry and hot and sick, and Oh God make it stop!

No. Not all of them, not at once, but the claws keep coming and the screams and the blood, so much blood pouring, pooling.

"What I saw that day was the most horrific scene I'd ever laid eyes on," General Yeegar's voice feels so far away, like I'm being swallowed into his mind, his memories.

All I can see is the red and the grey and the black and the stains deepening across my eyes. Nineteen little bodies crumbling to dust.

"Most of the students were killed instantly, but those that weren't suffered greatly before expiring."

I choke. Out. Out. Get me out. Make it stop!

"I panicked. I ran out into the school yard crying for help, and then I saw it."

The young Yeegar, eyes so wide and frightened froze on the school house steps before Joanne's tiny body and a person in a black and white cloak standing before her, a silver bow pointed at the walking corpse's head.

"I saw Joanne facing a woman that was aiming an arrow straight at her head."

 _What are you doing? Stop it!_

The girl's body rips apart, the corpse falls into the dirt where it belongs; the blood is stale, rotting, as the Akuma emerges with a roar.

I feel Yeegar's fear, it burns like a hot skillet.

The Akuma rises into the air as Yeegar sinks to his knees. There's an explosion, and the Akuma is destroyed with a single arrow.

The person holding the bow slowly lowers their weapon. I know who it is before Yeegar does in his own mind. I've seen that bow inside a chest in the attic. It's called Gabriel's Crescent.

The cloaked figure turns towards Yeegar, exposing big brown eyes and long blonde hair underneath their hood.

"The woman who saved me was an Exorcist of the Black Order: Audrey Williams. You're grandmother, Cas."

I nod slowly. I'm so distant and yet so deeply involved.

The memories flash by one after another as Yeegar continues speaking, making me dizzy as he describes the young Audrey taking him back to the Order, and Hevlaska finding him to be an Accommodator.

"The last forty years of my life have been dedicated to fighting Akuma and banishing their evil, so that tragedy's like what I witnessed never happen again."

So, it was my grandmother. Audrey was the one that brought Kevin Yeegar to the Black Order. She'd saved his life and turned him onto the right path.

Just like with me.

"Cas?" I hear Allen vaguely.

Yeegar's memories have retreated from my mind, but I'm still slumped with my head in my arms on the table. There are hot tears stinging my eyes. I'm overwhelmed.

"Hey…" Allen's voice is soothing as he gently pries my arms away and lifts my head. I look at him as he tenderly wipes the tears leaking from my eyes. "It's alright."

"I apologize, Cassandra. I didn't mean to upset you," the General says to me.

"It's not that," I reply, "My Innocence allows me to feel the emotions and memories of other Accommodators."

The General's eyes widen. "You-I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault." I wipe the rest of the tears from my eyes.

Beside me, Allen squeezes my hand under the table.

"It is a sad truth that nearly every person involved with the Black Order has a similar story to tell," Yeegar continues, his expression grim. "We have all endured hardships in this world."

Allen nods, absentmindedly touching his scarred eye. "Yes, I turned someone very important to me into an Akuma," his voice breaks slightly as he drops his eyes, "And then I destroyed what he became. That's how my left eye came to bear the curse it has today."

I touch his shoulder in slight gesture of comfort as I say, "Someone I loved became an Akuma as well. My Innocence responded and destroyed her."

"At first I became an Exorcist because I wanted to atone for his death," Allen continues, "But now I know better than that; I fight for survival, for the people that died to rest easy, to make every day worth living."

I touch my chest without really thinking. "I suppose being born with Innocence in your heart might be thought of as curse, but I always saw it as my fate."

Allen nods in agreement. "The fact is that I carry the weight of knowing that I turned the most important person in my life into an Akuma, so all I can do is-."

He breaks off as General Yeegar places a hand on his shoulder.  
"There's no need to explain yourselves."

I look to him in surprise.

"You have both handled your situations admirably. I'm proud to have met you for that reason alone."

Allen looks at him, in awe. "Thank you, General."

Yeegar smiles sadly. "Trust me, I understand how people can be compelled to bring those they love back from the dead. One can't blame them for reacting the way they do, and you both understand that, which is significant. Understanding the origins of pain and suffering and how it comes from a place of love despite the evils it leads to is something that will aid you both in your journey as an Exorcist."

He squeezes Allen's shoulder and smiles at me, his eyes kind.

"That knowledge will help the pair of you save more lives than you ever could have imagined."

I feel a surge of emotions, too many to name.

I look to see Allen's eyes are brimming with tears.

"Kid." I throw my arm around his shoulders as he rests his head against me, burying his face in my cloak.

"It's alright," he whispers, "I'm alright."

I smile slightly. "We both are."

* * *

A/N: Dwwawwwww (Yeegar probably thinks they're dating) It's sweet and enjoyable to write, and you guys asked for more Callen (yeah, I think I'm calling it that) moments. so there you are, and are even more in the next two chapters I'm posting tonight.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: The Beginning of the End

* * *

It's raining again. This storm seems to be following us like a lovesick puppy.

It's worse today though; the waves of the English Channel rise as high as hills.

Allen and I stand in the shelter of the boathouse with a crowd of other people, pretty much knowing the outcome of whether or not we can sail across before one of the deckhand's announces it:

"Everyone, you're attention please. We regret to inform you that all sailing out of this junction has been postponed due to the weather."

A universal groan rumbles up from the crowd.

Allen sighs, moving over to sit on a bench in the corner.

I follow him, pulling out my pipe.

"What now?" Allen inquires as I light with my new lighter and puff on it lazily.

"Food?"

"Food."

"Allen! Cas!" We both turn our heads in time to see a familiar pair of dark green pigtails bobbing towards us out of the crowd.

Allen grins, "Lenalee!"

She smiles and waves.

"What a coincidence running into you here," I remark through my pipe. "We were just about to get some dinner. Care to join us?"

The other girl smiles. "Of course."

* * *

We hurry through the rain towards a tiny café remodeled out of the bottom of an old lighthouse. The circular dining space is warm and cozy, efficient in shutting out the raging storm that batters the windowpanes and swings the sign hanging over the door.

The place is crowded due to many people in the area being stranded from the storm, but we manage to secure a booth by the window.

We'd just sat down when a slightly frazzled-looking waitress hurries over, breathless from the rush.  
"Hi. What can I get you?"

Allen glances at the menu, and then hands it to her.  
"Yes."

She blinks. "Pardon?"

"Me too," I add, handing her my copy.

"I-I don't understand."

"We want one of everything," Allen explains.

Her jaw drops. "Um, sir, some of those meals can feed six people."

Lenalee giggles. "Oh, don't worry: these two are worth three times as that."

"Just do it," I add, starting to lose my patience.

With a shrug, the serving girl hurries off.

About fifteen minutes later, she and a few of her coworkers return, arms full of dish after dish as they laid them across the table, covering the entire surface, so we couldn't even rest our elbows on it.

They pour us drinks, all of them terribly confused, but Allen and I pay them no mind as we start digging in.

Lenalee shakes her head as she forks her salad.  
"You two are unbelievable."

Allen glances up, his face full of chowder. "Huh?"

I snort into my potato salad. "So, how was your mission, Lenalee. Spain, was it?"

She shrugs. "Not all that interesting. I went there to collect Innocence, but it turns out it was just a fluke."

"That's disappointing. Have you heard from Kanda? Is he still alive?"

Lenalee laughs. "Last time I checked he was in Copenhagen."

"Lucky bastard," I mumble, taking a sip of my drink, "I hear it's pretty there this time of year, sure beats this." I nod to the rain before taking a sip of my drink. "Wow, that's good liquor."

Lenalee frowns. "Cas, I don't think you should be drinking that."

"Why? It hardly gets me buzzed."

"It's not that, it's just," she lowers her voice, "You're under-aged."

I shrug. "They didn't ask, so I didn't say. Besides, I'll be eighteen in six months."

Lenalee sighs.

I jerk my elbow. "Allen, if you try to take my cookie again, I'll give your _other_ eye a scar."

"But I don't have anymore."

"Ugh, fine. It's a good thing I like you."

I roll my eyes as Allen snatches it from my plate.

"Anyways, I'm more interested in how your visit with General Yeegar went," Lenalee chimes in.

"It went great," Allen replies, eagerly chewing on the chocolate cookie, "The General's a very nice man."

"Yeah, he had a lot of gems of wisdom," I agree, cutting into my chicken, "You can see how the guy used to be a teacher."

Lenalee nods, smiling wistfully. "Yeah, I remember that from the time I spent with him."

Allen looks at her, surprised, "You spent time with the General?"

"Yeah, I traveled with him for a bit when I was still trying to learn how to be an Exorcist. I was pretty young, so it was nice to have him with me. He helped me a lot."

"That's great," Allen declares.

I'm not really listening; my gaze is once again focused outside. The rain is so thick and falling so fast and so long it seems like it's going on and on all over the world, like the storm is a shadow covering the face of the planet, bringing darkness all over the world.

I blink. What a morbid thought.

But, as I'm looking, I can't help but feel a strange feeling washing over me, like my mind and body are slowly being pulled from each other. I grip my fork in my hand, trying to regain a sense of myself, but the disconnect continues.

My nostrils fill with the scent of blood, fresh, spilled across the soil. I jerk my head, but there's not a drop in the crowded restaurant. The only thing red is the drinks behind the bar.

I swallow. Something's not right. I feel dizzy and there's goosebumps on my skin, crawling, crawling up my arms, like something's squirming under my skin.

Blood, blood on the dead flesh, the bugs in the rotting corpse.

Oh God!

I cry out, dazed as I stagger out of the booth and fall right to the floor.

"Cas!" Allen and Lenalee jump up in alarm.

I don't hear them; their voices fade as a white light explodes in front of my eyes. My body seizes as all control leaves me.

I jerk and writhe, panic burning in my veins as I kick my legs that no longer seem to belong to me.

I'm numb, sweaty, hot, burning.

"Cas! Cas!" Allen is crouching beside me. My vision is blurry, and his voice sounds so far away.

I'm looking at nothing, feeling nothing. Then suddenly I feel everything.

My whole body contracts, and then I scream.

Pain. Fresh, pure, unadulterated pain rips through my chest like nothing I had ever felt in my life.  
I scream, throwing my head back as I grip at my chest, tearing at the fabric of my coat.

Something inside, something is breaking, shattering, pieces, pieces, falling into the wind, swallowed by the rain.

Darkness. I can't see.

I scream again. My heart is rupturing. I gasp, my chest heaves. I can't breathe. Panic bubbles up in my chest. I heave, rolling onto my side as my dinner comes up all over the floor.

"Cas. Cas, can you hear me?" Allen's voice. He sounds to be on the verge of tears.

I feel his hands, soft from the gloves. They feel cold. I'm burning. There's fire in my chest, it scorches.

It's tearing at my lungs. I feel Allen's arms encircle me, pulling me into him.

I'm screaming as the pain comes again and again, rolling like the waves of the Channel as the storm continues, the darkness.

Allen's gripping me tighter. I feel something wet trickle down my cheeks. I'm in agony.

My heart is burning, my blood is weeping, everything is scalding me.

"It's alright, Cas. It's going to be alright," Allen grips me tighter as my body stills.

I scream again. My heart is fire, it burns, it's Innocence.

It hurts. It hurts.

I grip Allen's coat and bury my face in his chest.

It hurts. It hurts. Ithurtsithurtsithurstithurts.

Oh God, make it stop!

I just continue shrieking, it rips through my throat as my voice goes hoarse. I'm limp, my insides are collapsing, melting. I'm fluid, liquid.

I can't feel anything but the pain, spreading throughout me.

It comes again and again, wave after wave, slicing through me, tearing apart my insides.

God, please kill me.

I'm dying.

Make it stop, make it stop.

I feel myself slipping, whether to unconsciousness or further I can't tell, but there's bliss on the edge of the darkness, bliss free of the pain.

"Cas," Allen's voice is soft; it masks the panic in his mind as his fingers trail through my hair. "Hold on, Cas. You're not going anywhere. You're not leaving me. Just hold on. Help is coming. A carriage will take you to the hospital. Just hold on."

My body seizes and I scream again, curling inwards, trying to fold in on myself to escape the pain. My core writhes, my heart melts, the liquid runs down my being.

I'm hot and black and there's darkness, and I can't even scream anymore.

I can't move.

It's like I'm the pain itself.

Make it stop.

Then a hand grabs me. A hand. No wings. Butterfly wings.

Wings as black as night.

I hear someone crying.

Maybe it's Allen.

Maybe it's me, weeping more bloody tears.

Then I black out.

* * *

 _The Lord Millennium is in search of you. Looking for the Heart. Now, have you heard the news? Maybe you stole it from him. I'll see if it's true._

It's like I'm floating in fog, weightless, without anything. There's nothing but white all around me.

Am I dead?

 _Cas…_

Emma?

I jerk awake. My eyes are sticky as I open them. The ceiling is grey, and the rain howls outside the window at my head.

Feeling slowly returns to my body, trickling down my torso and limbs like the rain dripping down the glass.

My eyes flit around the room. I'm in a hospital bed; the sheets are wet and there's an IV in my arm. Something is gripping my other arm.

I jerk my head to see a small gloved hand, stained with Blood, is lightly resting within my open palm. I follow it back to see that Allen is kneeling at the foot of the bed, his head resting on his right arm while his left grips mine. He's shoulders are rising and falling steadily, and his eyes are closed.  
He's asleep.

I suddenly realize I'm holding my breath and exhale forcefully. My lungs feel raw, like I haven't breathed in weeks.

Beside me, Allen shifts. His eyes flutter open. Groggily, he sits up.

"K-Kid," is about all I can get out as speaking causes my throat to flare up.

"Cas," Allen exclaims in a mixture of surprise and relief as he grips my hand tighter. "You're alright. You're gonna be alright." It seems like he's reassuring himself more than me.

I smile weakly. "What happened…?" I whisper hoarsely, "Where…" My words morph into a choke. I lean forward as I retch, Blood dribbling down my chin. Allen places a hand on my shoulder to steady me, wiping the Blood from my jaw with the back of his hand.

Is that were the Blood on his glove came from?

Have I been doing that a lot? How long has he been here?

"You're in the hospital," he answers my unspoken question, "You've only been here a few hours. It's about eleven o'clock. I think. Anyway, Lenalee was talking with the doctor; she said he thinks you had a grand mal seizure, but I don't…" His voice trails off, and his grip tightens on my fingers. "Cas, I don't think it was just that. I don't know if you remember, but you were yelling at me, you were saying that your heart was melting."

I find myself somewhere between embarrassed and horrified.

"Cas, you were in pain. You're _never_ in pain," Allen continues, "I saw you put your pipe out on your forearm in Mater. Cas, what happened?"

I can only shrug. I'm too shell-shocked to move any more.  
"I don't know," I breathe.

"Cas," Allen squeezes his eyes shut, and I can see tears leaking through, "That was the scariest thing I've ever seen. You were screaming…you were screaming that you were dying."

"Yeah, but I didn't," I find myself able to sit up somewhat, leaning back against the propped pillows. I reach up to gently brush the tears away from his eyes; he reopens them at my touch. "I'm fine now."

Allen bits his lip. "Oh, Cas." He throws his arms around me, hugging me a little too forcefully, but I don't care as I gingerly wrap my own around his neck, fisting my fingers through his hair.

I'd scared him; I'd scared him half to death, and somehow that makes me feel worse than the seizure, or whatever it was, ever did.

"I'm alright," I whisper as Allen tightens his grip. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm alright."

The door suddenly creaks open, and we hastily jump apart.

Lenalee staggers into the darkened room from the brightly lit hall; she doesn't seem to notice us. She moves at the pace of a sleepwalker, and her glassy eyes stare vaguely at the wall.

Allen starts forward, "Lenalee, what is it?"

She swallows, still not looking at him. "General Yeegar…is dead."

I feel like I've been punched in the gut.  
"What?" I cry as Allen's knees buckle and he grabs the edge of the bed for support.

"No…No, he can't be."

"Lenalee, are you sure?" I ask, slowly sitting up a little further.

She nods, biting her lip as tears start leaking from her eyes.  
"A-About five hours ago," he voice is shaking, and she's speaking so quietly that I have to lean in a little closer, "T-The General was attacked by a group of Akuma…and two N-Noah. He was found t-tied to a tree in his own C-Chains with his organs r-removed, and the Innocence with him had been turned to dust…!" Her last words erupt into a cry as she falls to her knees, sobbing as she buries her face in her hands.

Allen leans heavily against the bed post, gripping his face as his shoulders shake.  
"How? How could this happen?!" he yells at the floor.

I close my eyes and flop back against the pillows. I'm sweating and trembling as I rub my fingers across my eyes. I can't breathe; it's like the ghost of my seizure is still moving inside me, heightened by the pain.

Yeegar's pain. I felt it, in that moment, and now I see his face and hear his words rolling around and around inside my mind.

Yeegar…General Yeegar.

If I could cry, I would be in that moment, like Allen and Lenalee.

In that moment, I wish I could cry.

I feel like my inability to is making it worse, it's forced to be all kept down inside of me were it festers, rotting my insides.

The knot in my stomach suddenly moves upward into my throat. I choke, gasping as I lurch forward, clutching my neck.

Allen and Lenalee look up, their grief momentarily forgotten and replaced with fear.

"Cas," Allen's at my side in an instant, gingerly touching the sides of my face as I continue to shake and retch. "Cas, can you talk? Are you choking?"

I nod, squeezing my eyes shut as they start to water. I heave as my throat burns.

My vision starts to blur, and I vaguely hear Lenalee screaming into the hallway.  
"Doctor! Doctor, come quick! She's choking."

I vomit Blood all over the bedsheets, gasping heavily as the fluid dribbles down my chin, burning my skin.

Allen rubs gentle circles around my back as I continue to cough and splutter.

"I-I'm alright," I fight to keep my voice from shaking, "I'm alright. I'm-" My words suddenly catch in my throat, my eyes grow wide as I open my mouth, but not a sound comes out. It's like a hand is clasped firmly around my windpipe.

Allen looks at me, "Cas, are you okay? Can you breathe?"

I try to say something, but the link between my brain and my mouth seems to be broken. I'm screaming words inside my head, but they're only thoughts, not a sound comes out of my mouth.

Lenalee bursts in a second later with the doctor.

"Sir, help her. She can't-," Allen looks panicked as he jumps back, allowing the doctor to bend down beside me

With a shaking hand, I reach up to feel my throat, trying to see if it's still there.

"Cas?" the doctor asks slowly, "Can you hear me?"

I want to say yes, I want to scream it, but my mouth starts moving, and it doesn't feel like it even belongs to me.

Absurdly, unexplainably, I start _singing_ :

 _The Lord Millennium is in search of you. Looking for the heart, now, have you heard the news? Maybe you stole it from him? I'll see if it's true._

Everyone's looking at me, startled and confused.

As soon as the words stop flowing, I gasp as though I've been released, more Blood pours from my mouth like projectile vomit as I heave.

"Yes. Yes! I'm here. I can talk! I can talk! I can talk! I can! I can! IcanIcanIcanIcanICAN!" My voice rises in volume as I continuously try to prove to everyone and to myself that my voice is mine, that it belongs to me and no one else.

"I CAN!"

I scream before feeling the twinge of a needle in my arm. I recoil but drop out of consciousness before I really have time to react, everything around me quickly melts away.

* * *

"Komui's coming today," Allen says half-heartedly.

I'm sitting on one of the hospital balconies in a wheelchair with a blanket around my knees. Allen's leaning against the railing beside me, looking out at the Channel.

The sun is out, seeming brighter than usual after so many days of rain.

It has been three of those since I'd been admitted to the hospital. Three days since General Yeegar had been murdered.

It's been rough. I kept choking up Blood, and I couldn't keep any food down at first. I'd have night terrors too, where I'd wake up screaming, convinced that someone was watching me outside my bedroom window, despite the nurse's insistence that there was no one there.

I've been on so much opium, I might never need nicotine again.

But it's been hard for everyone; even Allen refuses to eat sometimes.

I reach out and grip his sleeve. He turns to look at me, his eyes sad as the wind ruffles his hair around them. "Do you want to go back inside?"

"No. It's just, I have a question, but I'm afraid to ask it."

Allen turns to face me fully. "What? What is it?"

I sigh, dropping my eyes to my covered knees.

"Cas…"

I bite my lip. "W-What time did we have dinner on that night?"

Allen looks at me, confused. "Um…I think it was like six or something."

I inhale sharply, my hands closing into fists. _I knew it._

"Cas, what is it?"

I look up at Allen. "I had my 'attack' at six o'clock, and we found out that General Yeegar was dead at eleven o'clock."

"So, what's your point."

"If that's true, Lenalee said that he had died five hours before eleven o'clock then that means that my attack came at exactly the same time General Yeegar died."

Allen pales instantly, realizing what I'm saying.  
I don't believe in coincidences. I can't. Not after everything that's happened. Besides, we both know that whatever had happened to me was something far more than a seizure, the involuntary singing was enough of an indication.

"Hey," Lenalee's voice is so soft, I almost don't hear her. I turn around to see her standing in the balcony doorway. "My brother's here. Lavi and Bookman are too."

A few minutes later, Allen wheels me back into my hospital room where the Chief and two book keepers are waiting.

Lavi's single eyes grows huge when he sees me.  
"Cas! I almost didn't believe it."

I scowl at him, abated when Bookman kicks him in the shines.

"I hope you're feeling a little better today, Cas," Komui calls to me. "I was informed by your doctor of what's happened to you these last few days. It's most disturbing. Now, Lenalee has told me that you believe the seizure you had was somehow linked to your Innocence."

I nod.

"Can you explain that?" Bookman asks.

"Well, my Innocence is my…" I glance at Lenalee, the only person present, who doesn't already know, "…heart, and during the attack, it felt like my heart was melting. It was more like cardiac arrest than a seizure, but since my heart doesn't beat that kind of thing is sort of an impossibility."

"There's something else, Chief," Allen adds, "We've also calculated that Cas's attack happened around the same time that General Yeegar was killed."

Komui's eyes shot up into his hairline.  
"Could that be a coincidence, Cas?"

I shake my head. "Not likely."

Lavi crosses his arms, his expression thoughtful, "Well, Cas, as an empath, perhaps your body responded to a fellow Accommodator's death and to the eight Innocence pieces that were destroyed also destroyed."

Lenalee gasps. " _Eight_ pieces were destroyed."

Komui nods gravely. "Yes, couple that with the General's death, we have ourselves quite the hefty loss. The Earl has dealt a mighty blow." He leans forward in his chair, steepling his fingers as he eyes us all with a very serious expression. "Listen closely, all of you. Events have begun moving again, not only has there been an increase in Akuma attack in the past six months, the resurgence of the Noah Clan and now the attack on a Black Order General."

"What could this all mean?" Allen asks.

Bookman looks to him. "Obviously, the Earl is planning something."

"We know this for a fact," Komui pauses to push his glasses further up his nose. He looks distraught, but he's trying to hide it. "You see, General Yeegar was taken to the hospital before he died. He was in…terrible pain, and the only thing he said was what we have now interpreted to be a message from the Earl. It was-."

"The Lord Millennium is in search of you, looking for the Heart. Now, have you heard the news. Maybe you stole it from him? I'll see if it's true," I recite the words I'd uttered the a few nights prior before he can finish.

Komui looks at me, horrified. "How did you…"

"Because we got the same message on the same night," Allen explains.

"B-But how?" Komui stammers.

"Through Cas," Lenalee replies.

The Chief leaps to his feet. "What?"

I nod slowly. "Yeah, it came out of my mouth, but it wasn't me talking. It was like I was being controlled, like someone else's voice was using my lips."

Komui looks stricken; he collapses back into his chair and buries his face in his hands.

"Brother," Lenalee goes over and places a hand on his shoulder.

"So, it really was everyone," he whispers, slowly raising his head. "Before I received news of Yeegar, I got a call from Kanda in Copenhagen, than Suman in Russia, then Chakar and Kazana in Kenya. It was all over, every Exorcist calling to tell me that they had heard, one way or another, a message from the Earl, and it was always the same.

"He said that he was looking for something," Lavi chimes in, "That the 'seven-thousand-year prologue' has ended and now the real show is about to begin with us Exorcists as the main 'players'."

"So, you were right," I say to Komui, "The Earl is increasing his movements. He's planning something."

"I wish we knew what," Allen adds.

Komui looks up from his hands. "We do know. The song explains it."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Komui sighs, looking between Allen, Lenalee and me.  
"Tell me. Do any of you know anything about the Heart of Innocence?"

* * *

A/N: Dun dun da! Kind of a meta chapter that almost made me pull my hair out. Seizures are hard as hell to write (especially from someone who's never had one) I hope I at least got the idea across. Leave a review on your way to the next chapter:)  
Fun fact: the ordering the entire menu thing is based on an experience my dad had in high school with the football players.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: My Master, General Cross

* * *

"The Heart of Innocence?" Allen asks.

Instinctively, my hand goes to my chest as my stomach turns a somersault.

"What's that, brother?" Lenalee inquires.

Komui sighs, "It is the center of God Crystal, its first and most important piece. It's the king on the chessboard of this war, whoever holds the Heart wins."

"Why is that?" Lavi questions.

"Because if the Heart is destroyed, all other existing Innocence would cease to exist as well."

A chill passes over the room. I close my hands into fists, trying to keep them from shaking, but I think Bookman might have noticed.

"Where is it?" I ask quietly.

Komui shakes his head. "We don't know, nor do we entirely know for sure what it is or if there are any characteristics that separate it from normal Innocence. The Cube doesn't say. One possibility is that someone may have already retrieved it and become its Accommodator. In regards to the Millennium Earl, it appears that he believes the Heart to reside somewhere amongst the upper ranks of the Order, which lead to our first victim…General Yeegar. The return of the Clan of Noah and the fact that they're appear with Akuma shows they are strengthening their forces, attempting to close in on the Heart."

"Sounds like a good assessment," Bookman declares, "If you couple that with the timing of the Earl's most recent message to the Exorcists, I'd say we're right on track."

"It makes sense," Lavi adds, "If I were to choose an Exorcist that could handle the Heart of Innocence, a General would be the most likely candidate."

Komui nods before turning back to us. "A coordinated attack by both a large number of Akuma and the Noah would put any General at a disadvantage. At this time, we have only four Generals remaining: Klaud Nine, Winters Socalo, Froi Tiedol, and Cross Marian. I'm assigning teams of Exorcists to defend our Generals from the attacks that are sure to come. Allen, Lenalee, and Cas, you are being assigned to such a mission: you are to find General Cross and protect him."

Lenalee and Allen exchange a glance.  
"Uh, haven't we already tried this? Finding General Cross is easier said than done."

Komui nods, pushing his glasses further ups his nose. "Yes, you are all already aware that we have not had contact with him for nearly four years now: either he's dead or up to no good. Both of which are bad for us. There have been numerous rumors, but I think he's alive, and now that we have his apprentice, we may very well have information about where he is or at least how to find him."

Allen groans.  
"I'm guessing this is an order?"

Komui gets to his feet. "Yes. I understand you are being released tomorrow morning, Cas. You three are to leave immediately afterwards. Do you understand."

"Yes, sir."

"Yes, brother."

"Cas…?"

I momentarily glance up from my staring contest my knees.  
"Sure."

"Good."

With that, the Chief, the Bookmen, and Lenalee all left, closing the door to my hospital room behind them.

Allen lingers.  
"Cas, do you want something to eat?"

I don't respond. I grit my teeth, clenching my fists so tightly that my nails dig into my palms.  
I then finally collapse, slumping my shoulders and burying my face in my hands as I let out a noise I thought I'd never make again in my life: a sob.

Allen's at my side in an instant, "Cas, what is it?"

" _What_?" I spat, looking at him, angry and confused, and…frightened. "What do you _think_? The Noah are looking for the Heart of Innocence. I _have_ a heart of Innocence."

"But it might not be _the_ Heart," Allen insists.

I shake my head. "Do you think they won't try and find out?"

"The Noah don't know how your body is," Allen insists, reaching out to grip my hand, "Nobody knows that but you, me, Komui, the Bookmen, and now Lenalee, and no one else has to know."

I look at him, stricken. If I could cry, I would be.

"Allen, I'm s-scared," I whisper, "I d-don't want them to…" My voice breaks off.

I'm the only one with a vital organ for Innocence. If a Noah kills my shard, they kill me too

"Cas, look at me." I don't respond right away. Allen reaches up and touches my face, turning my head towards him. "I'm not going to let that happen, and I don't care if that's a pie crust promise, because it's true."

"Kid…" I start, but he breaks me off as he pulls me into a hug.

"You've protected me time and time again; now, I'm going to protect you. We'll protect each other."

I slowly reach up to return his hug, resting my head on his shoulder.  
"Alright."

Now I definitely would have been crying.

* * *

The sea air feels good: nature's medicine. I lean against the iron railing of the steam ship, perhaps a little heavier than I should be, but I managed to bounce back pretty quickly after being released from the hospital that morning, especially having a meal that wasn't hospital food.

Allen is standing beside me, gazing out at the see. I glance towards him, seeing the wind ruffle his brilliant white hair, his steely eyes the same color as the grey waves that roll beneath us.  
Strangely, I notice in that moment that he's got a rather appealing profile.

Huh.

I start when a hand touches my shoulder.  
"You okay?" Lenalee inquires.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm good," I wave her off.

"The rooms are all squared away," Lenalee adds to Allen, who doesn't respond, "Allen?"

"Huh?"

"Welcome back," Lenalee smiles slightly, "Are you alright?"

Allen hangs his head, "Yeah. I was just thinking about General Yeegar."

Lenalee nods. "I understand."

"He was such a nice man," Allen continues, "He treated me like I was his student, like I was one of his own. Before meeting him, I didn't think a General could be capable of generosity; the image in my head was always a selfish, egotistical sociopath who dealt out pain and suffering without a moment's notice."

I wince. "Yikes."

Lenalee laughs nervously. "It sounds like General Cross really put you through the ringer, does that sound about right?"

Allen groans, griping the side of his head, "Just thinking back to my days in training makes me dizzy. Now I'm feeling faint…"

He stumbles, and I snatch him before he can fall over.

"Maybe you should sit down?" Lenalee offers, startled.

I grip Allen's shoulders as he nods. "Why didn't you tell me you have crippling PTSD?" I hiss in his ear.

Allen thumps his head against my chest with a dramatic moan. "Of all people, why me?"

Lenalee smiles reassuringly. "Because you're his apprentice. Don't you remember what my brother said?"

"Yep, now we're under orders to find him," I say grimly as I help ease Allen back into a steady standing position. "Lucky us."

Lenalee tilts his head to the side, the sea breeze ruffling her pigtails. "The one thing I don't understand is why we're going to Liverpool of all places."

Allen looks back out at the sea. "It's because of a woman. She and Cross were very close once, so I thought I'd be a good place to start."

Lenalee and I exchange a glance.

"A woman? What? Like a girlfriend?"

Allen shakes his head. "No. His sponsor."

"Ah."

Lenalee looks thoughtful. "I must admit I don't know much about the General. I only met him once and that was a long time ago."

I nod. "Same here."

Allen looks between us. "If that's the case for the both of you, then there are a few things I should tell you before we find him. You need to know about what makes him tick."

I raise an eyebrow. Lenalee swallows.

* * *

We settle in the recreation room at one of the tables. It's tea time, so several other people are there drinking and talking as well. Allen and Lenalee ordere a cup of the hot drink each while I get a glass of scotch (it's five o'clock somewhere).

"Thank you, gorgeous," I wink at the alluring, raven-haired waitress as she hands me my drink.

She giggles, flushing heavily as she stows her tray under her arm and hurries away.

Lenalee looks after her before turning to me. "What was that about?"

Oh, right. Lenalee doesn't know I'm bisexual.

I shrug in response. "What can I say? I like beautiful things." I spy Allen looking at me oddly. "What?"

"Nothing."

Lenalee takes a sip of her tea. "Allen, you told me that your first encounter with General Cross was three years ago. Correct?"

"Yes, it was three years; it was right after I'd destroyed my father."

Lenalee hangs her head, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

Allen smiles reassuringly. "It's alright. That wasn't the worst part, the hard times came later."

I lean forward in my seat, setting down my now empty glass. "What was so difficult about training under Cross? Was he physically abusive or something?"

Allen chuckles. "No, not that, the training was the easiest part." A shiver suddenly passes through Allen's body, "It was Master Cross's inability to manage his money that did me in."

I'm reminded of words my grandmother had said once in relation to Cross: dirty, gambling, whore-mongering pig…or something like that.

"What do you mean?" Lenalee asks.

Allen sighs, "Here's an example: when I was just starting out with him, we were in a pub one night in Paris. Master was drinking and I was playing solitaire when some big men burst in. they claimed Cross had taken one of their woman's money, and they were looking for a fight."

"Did he take his Weapon out and blow their heads off?" I ask.

Lenalee stares at me.

"What? That's what I would have done."

"No. Actually, Master ran away," Allen asserts, "And it was all I could do to keep up, until he told me to 'take care of them for me' and kicked me to the curb right in their path."

Lenalee gasps quietly.

"That dick…" I breath.

"The men tied me up and tried to force me to sign a life insurance policy, so they could make money after they killed me."

"What did you do?" Lenalee whispers.

Allen shrugs, "I ran like hell."

"Did that happen…often?" I click at the waitress for a refill for my drink.

Allen nods. "Yeah, Master Cross accumulated debts all across Europe, one after another. I had to start taking jobs in order to make money to pay them off, so I wouldn't get jumped again. A lot of blue collar stuff: mining work, digging trenches, timber, mill work. However, after working off the debts, I'd only take home a fraction of what I earned; Cross took almost every penny and went out and spent it on more drinks, games, and woman."

"Sounds like a vicious cycle," I muse as the waitress brings me my drink. "Thanks, sweetheart. Hey, can I smoke in here."

"Go right ahead." I light my pipe as Allen continues.

"You have no idea how many times I wanted to bash him in the head with a stool or something," his hand closes into a fist.

"Why didn't you?" I ask.

"Because I was eleven, and Master Cross is like 6'4. Anyways, I kept working myself to the bone in order to pay off what he owed. I did all kinds of stuff, different things as we moved from country to country. At one point, I was working on a fishing boat in the Mediterranean Sea, another time I was hauling across the Egyptian desert, and nearly died of dehydration."

I whistle, "Jesus Christ, kid."

Lenalee kicks me under the table.  
"Stop interrupting."

Allen laughs. "The worst thing had to be in Kenya though."

"Why? What job was that?" Lenalee inquires.

I flick her shoulder. "Hypocrite."

"Well, it wasn't necesarrily a 'job'," Allen asserts, "You see, Master got drunk in the hotel before noon, which is never a good thing, and he looked at me and said: 'Allen, I want to see one of those lions. Go get one for me'." There, Allen made his voice sound all deep and slurred.

I snort into my own alchohol.

"So I tried to catch a lion with a rope, but as you'd imagine, it almost caught _me_ instead," Allen shakes his head. "I still can't believe I survived that day."  
He then pauses to take a sip of his tea before continuing, "I remember thinking that if I kept doing these jobs, I wasn't going to see my next birthday, so in order to make enough money, I learned how to gamble."

"Oh! That's why," I exclaim, remembering the train from Romania.

Allen nods. "I originally started playing cards, so I could rehabilitate my paralyzed left hand, but when you're putting your life on the line in dirty saloons, your skills can advance quickly. Soon enough, I had mastered a slew of cheats and couldn't lose." Allen chuckles, a strange darkness crossing his face as he eyes Lenalee and me. "Now I can't touch a deck of cards without winning money," he snarls, his smile serpentine as he gets to his feet, "Do you not believe me?"

"No!" Lenalee jumps up as well, "We believe you, Allen!"

"Sit down," I grab his sleeve and pull him back into his chair where he immediately reverts back.

I glance at Lenalee, who looks disturbed, and silently mouth: 'what the fuck?'

Allen sighs, "But my new talent was a double-edged sword; once Master found out how much money I could bring in gambling, the spending and partying skyrocketed. I started to think I'd be a slave to my master for the rest of my life." Allen hangs his head, "And it turned me into a really mean person."

I pause in sipping what is now my third glass of scotch (and I was barely buzzed). Allen? Mean? I couldn't even fathom it.  
Allen had to be the sweetest, kindest human being I'd ever met in my life. Trying to imagine Allen in a bad mood was like trying to imagine my grandmother without her walking stick. I thought back to the promise he'd made me in the hospital yesterday, and found myself flushing for some reason.

"Allen, that's how anyone who have reacted," Lenalee assures him, "Besides, things would have been a lot better if you'd had a friend you could have talked to."

Allen drops his eyes.

"What is it?" I ask him.

"I did have a friend," Allen admits, "Crazy, huh? I'd finally found someone I could rely and depend on. I honestly called him my best friend. Nerei was his name; he was my age, and he changed my life forever."

"How so?" Lenalee inquires.

"I met him while I was working in India, after we'd moved there from Africa. Master was living in a palace that belonged to the Maharaja, who ruled the land. Inside the palace, lived a widow named Urumeena; she and Master Cross were…well, you know."

Lenalee's face flamed as she slammed her hands on the table. "Lovers?"

"Shut up!" I grab her arm as everyone in the room turns to look at us.

Allen shrinks down in his chair. "Geez, keep it down."

Lenalee glances around, her face going even redder as she claps a hand to her mouth. "I'm sorry," she whispers, "But did he really do _that_ with the Maharaja's widow?"

Allen shrugs. "Yeah, I honestly don't know how it's possible, but Master's very good with the ladies. Anyways, while Cross was getting to know Urumeena, I was getting to know Narei."

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the two ladies in the table next to us are now intently listening as well, so are the three in the table beyond them.

"I immediately noticed how smart he was," Allen continues, "He wanted to be a doctor when he grew up. Anytime he wasn't working, he'd immerse himself inside advanced medical books, studying so he could one day attain his dream. He had an older sister named Mina, she worked as Urumeena's servant. She always wanted to be a dancer; sometimes she'd perform for the people in the palace, but she always dreamed of being on a stage in London."

I notice Allen's cheeks redden slightly.

"Ooh, you liked her," I chide, nudging his elbow.

This just make Allen blush harder.  
"Yeah, I guess a little," he whispers. "Regardless, whenever I saw those two, they would make me see my situation in a new light."

"So, they encouraged you," Lenalee surmises.

Allen nods, "Even though they were young, they were so positive; they both believed deep down in their hearts that better times were ahead. Unfortunately," Allen suddenly looks incredibly sad, "Those dreams, never became a reality."

All the tables that had been listening turn our way in surprise, even the hot waitress looks at us.

Allen takes a deep breath, "I'd been working in India cleaning chimneys for six months when it happened. At the local saloon, I used some of the money I'd earned in my job to win a huge pot in the poker games. As usual, Master took every penny I'd won that night. By that point, I'd had enough. I yelled at him, I demanded to know when I'd start training; after all, it was Cross that had asked me to be an Exorcist, not the other way around."

I thump Allen in the shoulder. "Good for you, kid."

Allen laughs nervously, "Well, it backfired, because I'd never thought an Akuma before, and Cross was like: 'here's your chance, kid; why don't you show me what you've got'." Again, he made his voice all deep and slurred, "And he threw me into the street with about a half dozen Akuma."

"What?" Lenalee cries.

"That dick!" I repeat.

"Did you kill them?"

"Of course not," Allen asserts, "I tried to activate my Weapon, but it was still partially paralyzed, so Cross had to finish them all off himself. He wasn't happy about that; for 'punishment', I had to earn twice as much from then on." Allen sighs, his eyes look heavy, "Needless to say, that incident didn't do much for my confidence, so I decided to visit Narei; he always knew how to cheer me up...but when I got there."

Lenalee claps a hand to her mouth, "Don't tell me."

"I found Narei kneeling beside a coffin with his sister Mina inside. She had been killed in the Akuma attack when a building had collapsed."

"That's horrible," Lenalee cries.

"Shit, that poor kid."

Allen nods somberly, "I remember him crying, screaming at me that even though he had all these books that taught him how to save lives, he couldn't do anything to bring her back."

"Well, except…" I trail off, my eyes widening in realization. "Oh, Allen, he didn't."

But he nods his head 'yes'. "At Mina's funeral, I brought a wreath and candles to set adrift in the Ganges, but Narei wasn't himself. I knew something was wrong, and then it happened." Allen falters, his hands closing into fists once more, "I remembered being so angry at him, thinking how could he have been so stupid as to listen to the Earl, but I'd…I'd done the same thing." He closes his eyes, shaking his head, "I couldn't believe my friend was gone."

"Did Cross kill it?" I ask.

"No. I did."

Lenalee claps a hand to her mouth. "Oh, Allen."

"It was the first time I'd killed an Akuma willingly. With Mana, my Innocence had acted on its own, but here I'd activated it myself. I'd done it consciously. It was a horrible thing, the hardest thing I'd ever done." Allen runs his fingers through his hair, "But it was also the best, because it was the first time my cursed eye activated as well, and I saw…I saw Mina's soul, and I felt her pain and her grief that now Narei was dead as well and couldn't fufill his dream. I realized then that all Akuma are suffering, grieving just like the humans of the world."  
Allen grips his left arm, "In that moment, I'd found what I had been fated to do: to save Akuma rather than simply destroy them."

Lenalee smiles. I finish my drink.

"Mina and Narei were free when I destroyed the Akuma they'd become," Allen continues. "I remember afterwards, Cross asked me how it felt to kill one for the first time, I told him it was hard, and he told me that I'd just have to accept that if I wanted to be an Exorcist. He told me I'd done well and then left me alone to cry. That was two years ago…"  
Allen's eye twitches, "After that, Master Cross continued to throw me into the heat of battle without warning. At least by that point, I was prepared, and even welcomed the challenge."

"I guess you weren't kidding, that's a crazy story," Lenalee concludes as Allen finishes speaking, "Much crazier than I thought it'd be."

"Yeah," I agree as I set down my last drink, "I thought my past was fucked up."

Allen looks at me, and as our eyes meet, I get a sense of understanding between us, flashing back to that moment on the train when he'd hugged me after I'd revealed my past to him, knowing how hard and painful it had been for me.

Allen Walker understood me, probably better than anyone else ever had. And I understood him, now more than ever.

I'm not sure what to do in this moment, but Lenalee continues talking, so I'm spared.

"For all his flaws though, General Cross sure sounds interesting."

I snort, "He sounds like a complete prick."

Allen grimaces, "Now you know what I was talking about; Master's crazier than a-"

"He sounds _amazing_."

Allen jumps. "Say what?!"

We turn to see that several of the women from the nearby tables are flocking towards us.

"I didn't understand everything, especially about those Akuma, or whatever you call them, but there's one thing I know for sure: this master of yours is a commendable man," exclaims a dark haired woman with glasses.

"Most people can only dream of having such a positive influence," adds a perky blond.

"Your story really touched my heart." Even the waitress is swooning, "What a charming man this Master Cross is. Oh, I'd love to meet him."

"What?! My story _touched_ you?" Allen cries over the women's giggling and babbling. "Which part?"

The waitress gasps dreamily, "The whole thing."

"But my master's a maniac!" Allen insists, waving his arms wildly as the women press in around him, singing Cross's praises. "How can you find that endearing?"

Lenalee chuckles. "Now, now, did you ever think Master Cross is strict with you because he _cares_ about you?"

"Strict is putting it lightly," I grumble in response.

Allen groans, "You too, Lenalee?" He buries his face in his hands, "I don't get it, why are women so easily swayed by guy's like Master?

"It's because the ladies love a bad boy, Allen," I explain simply, clapping him on the shoulder, "I don't get it either, and I've dated one and _am_ one."

"But Master's not just bad, he's _evil_ , so why are women constantly fawning all over him?" he cries as the women around us continue to swoon and gasp lovingly. He fists his fingers through his hair, "Forget it! I'm never going to understand women; I'm clueless. There! I said it!"  
With a cry, he bangs his head down on the table.

I chuckle. "Oh, Allen," I reach out and stroke the top of his hair lovingly.

He groans.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not swayed by Cross's apparent charms."

"You're not?" Allen asks without lifting his head.

I snort. "Of course. I may hit on everything that moves, but I still have _standards_."

Allen groans again.

I just continue to laugh and pat the top of his head.  
"Well, I can tell you something, Allen," I say as he lifts his head to look at me. I hold up my drink, "When we do find Cross, I'll give him a good punch in the face, for my grandma and you."

Allen smiles slightly. "Thanks, Cas."

* * *

A/N: Thus ends another chapter dump. There might be another one this week if I don't run out of steam. Stay tuned and leave a review if it tickles your fancy;)


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: HOLY SHIT 100 FOLLOWERS! I can't believe it; I never would have imagined this story would be as popular as it is and I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart for all the support and kind words. Thanks a million and one:)  
Anyways, I'm back again with another chapter. I'm trying to get to a certain point in the story and we're nearly there, so I'm excited. Sorry it took a bit. I moved into college this week so things got a little crazy. I will try to keep my updates regular as I figure my new schedule out but it looks like this story's update will be moved to Thursday from now on.

* * *

From: KijoKuroi  
Q: Yay chapter dumps! Poor Cas, poor Allen. I loved the chapters, especially the Callen bits where we see she's beginning to have feelings too! Although I'm equally interested in seeing how stalker-level-9000 Tyki is going to play into all this.

A: Yep, Allen is definitely good for Cas in the feeling's department. Yeah…the next interaction between Cas and Tyki is going to be very different considering he probably won't be in his 'white' form.

From: FALLINGANGEL24  
Q: You're on fire with these updates!

A: I am indeed:)

From: RavenxX  
Q: Yay! More updates! I guess it's my lucky week. I am so into this story. I can't survive without it, probably! You are such an amazing author. Really talented. So the latest chapters have been amazing. Cas seems to have awakened some ofher emotions too but that seizure seemed painful. Then she was choking...but the singing part scared me the most...gave me goosebumps...Poor Cas :( i am with you honey! Allen has been such a sweetheart. OmG! I love these "Callen" moments. Thank you dear Author for fulfilling my wish. Ah! Cross is really a prick. How can all the women fall for him? I would also love to punch that guy XD Cas! Allen! I am with you always...  
Maybe i have suspicion as to who that Mysterious Father is...? Am i on the right path, Author-san?

A: Awww, your words have touched me so much; thank you from the bottom of my heart;) I'm glad you've liked the recent chapters so much and that you're happy with the Callen moments! Yeah, I _loathed_ Cross when I first watched this series; my opinion on him has somewhat changed since then, however.  
You might very well be on the right path to who Cas's father is. We'll have to see…

From: Guest  
Q: This was very interesting and I am so curious to see how this ends please

A: Thanks so much; I hope you enjoy further updates:)

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I have no regrets sacrificing sleep just to binge read all 26 chapters! I'm totally aboard the Callen ship! Cas is gonna end up flirting 28th Cross, just so she can get close enough and pinch him in the face. Out of curiosity, what kind of pipe does Cas have? Cause I constantly keep on imagining either that Sherlock Holmes/English detective kind of pipe, or the oriental kiseru pipe...

A: Wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to read all 26 chapters! That's so awesome:) I guess we'll have to see how Cas interacts with Cross once they cross paths. As for her pipe, design wise it's more of an English smoking pipe.

From: Procrastinatingismyforte  
Q: Dang! Poor Allen! Well I wanna see Cas give cross that punch, I'd sooooooo love to see everyone's reactions! Please update at your earliest convenience, (I won't demand, you need your rest too).

A: Ha! Well, if it happens, it'll certainly be interesting. Thanks for the lovely review:)

From: Emily Rose  
Q: Hey! This is an amazing story you got. I am so in love with this. I binge read this whole thing it was so addicting, like seriously? :D keep up the good work. Now, i am really desperate to see how Cas will punch that punk of a master. LoL! Gosh! I absolutely love Cas. Of course "Callen" too! XD please update, i am desperate to the point that i keep thinking about this fic even in class.

A: Aww, this was such a sweet review! Thanks so much for reading the whole thing. That's awesome! :D I hope you enjoy these updates.

* * *

Chapter 27: The One Who Sells Souls

* * *

 _"_ _That makes thirteen," Cas calls dryly from the window seat._

 _"_ _What are you doing?" I ask her, looking up from the bowl of oatmeal I'd ordered._

 _"_ _Counting the lakes because that's all I'm seeing."_

 _"_ _There are a lot," Lenalee agrees, "I didn't think there'd be so many or how gorgeous they'd be."_

 _I smile, "That's why they call it the Lake District; people say it's one of the most beautiful regions in all of England."_

 _At that moment, the train stops at the station._

 _I feel my heart flutter slightly as we gather our things and disembark. I haven't laid eyes on this town since I was a kid. I stand before it, and it's like greeting an old friend: the same cobblestone streets, the same cozy little shops, the same fountain in the square._

 _The bright April sun adds a charming pallor to the picturesque scene._

 _I smile wistfully, "Wow! It looks great. Right, Timcampy?" I add to the golem as he circles my head._

 _"_ _You seem happy to be back," Cas observes, coming up behind me. She pulls at her gloves and adjusts her cravat. She's wearing a blue suit today under her Exorcist cloak with black gloves and a gold cravat._

 _"_ _Yeah, it's almost like I'm back in my hometown," I muse thoughtfully, "Which is strange since I didn't stay here very long."_

 _"_ _Well, I bet this place holds a lot of fond memories for you," Lenalee remarks as she hurries behind the two us, and we enter the town._

 _I glance at her over my shoulder. "Do you think that's it?"_

 _Cas chuckles, ruffling my hair. "You told us that things were rough under Cross, so I'm glad you had some good times as well."_

 _Lenalee nods in agreement. "I'm excited to meet Mother; from the way you've talked about her, I can tell she was an important person in your life."_

 _I nod. "Yeah, she-"_

 _"_ _Hey, you three! You look like you're not from around here." We turn at the sound of loudly cheerful voice to see a tall, wide-faced man split even wider by the massive grin he's wearing. He's standing outside a cobbler shop.  
"Those shoes of yours look like they've seen better days, am I right?" the man continues as he holds out a pair of shiny black loafers, "But you're in luck because I happen to have a brand new pair right here." _

_I look at the shoes and then down at my own worn boots. Beside me, Cas glances up at the sign hanging above the shop; I follow her gaze to see it reads_ Richard's Shoes.

 _"_ _That's me, Richard," the man grins, pointing his thumb at his chest, "And not to toot my own horn, but these are the highest quality shoes you'll see anywhere in town."_

 _He shoves the indicated pair in my face, causing me to step back slightly. "I'm sure, but our shoes are just fine for now."_

 _Richard smiles, although reluctantly. "Maybe next time."_

 _I nod as Cas, Lenalee, and I keep walking. Richard calls after us, "Now remember: for the finest shoes in all of Liverpool, come to_ Richard's Shoes _!"_

 _"_ _We will," I call back over my shoulder as I wave. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Richard."_

 _"_ _You won't know pleasure until you try a pair of my finest!"_

 _"_ _That place is new," I whisper to Cas as we keep walking. "I guess more's changed around here than I thought."_

 _"_ _Well, it's been a few years, and I'd much rather things change than stay exactly the same like in Waterende."_

 _I nod in understanding. Behind us, Richard stops a portly gentleman, who seemed to be in a hurry._

 _"_ _Hello there, sir! Those worn out shoes of yours have seen better days, am I right? Why do you say we find you a new pair?" He shoves the same pair of shoes into the man's face._

 _Lenalee giggles. "Look at that. He uses the same line on everybody that happens to wander past his shop."_

 _Cas taps her chin thoughtfully, "I believe it's called the 'foot in the door phenomenon' or something."_

 _As we keep walking, I spy a massive white building rising up from between the little houses surrounding the main square._

 _"_ _I think that's the biggest building for miles," Lenalee observes._

 _"_ _Probably a hospital," Cas remarks, "Looks kinda like the one my mom works at."_

 _"_ _It certainly is big enough," I agree._

 _I then lead Cas and Lenalee through the downtown and along the river way where there's a low bridge that would lead to a more wooded, secluded area peppered with farmhouses._

 _"_ _Mother's house is right on the bank of that small lake over there," I explain, pointing across the bridge._

 _Beside me, Cas suddenly stops._

 _"_ _What is it?" However, my question is answered as I follow her gaze to see the path we're on ends in a hillside cemetery overrun with dozens of headstones. Moving across the bridge at a slow, heavy pace is a funeral procession. A crowd of black-robed people shuffle along behind a jet black hearse._

 _Even from our distance, the sounds of sobbing are evident._

 _As we look on, Cas blesses herself, muttering a prayer in German._

 _"_ _That poor woman walking behind the casket," Lenalee whispers, referring to a dark haired female with a black veil in front of her face. She's crying so hard; she can barely stand up. "She must be the grieving widow of the person inside."_

 _As I look on, my eye suddenly activates, and I see the twisted soul hanging above the woman's form._

 _"_ _Everybody run!" I scream as I race forward, "You're in danger!"_

 _The group of people glance towards me in surprise and confusion, but their weeping soon turns to screams of horror as the widow's body erupts, and out from the corpse, rises the bloated form of an Akuma._

 _The horse pulling the hearse rears in fright, and the people scatter as the demon emerges in full and starts firing into the crowd._

 _I activate my arm, shielding the people as Cas rushes up from behind me, extending a whip of Blood and slicing through the Akuma's bulk._

 _"_ _Thanks," I call to her._

 _"_ _Don't thank me yet. Look!" Cas points into the trees just as several more Level Is rise up from the uppermost branches._

 _They drop down into the cemetery, chasing the panicked throng. Lenalee kicks one apart as its about to fire on one of the men._

 _"_ _Get as far away as you can! Hurry!"_

 _It's utter chaos. I change my arm into its gun form and fire a round, knocking out three Akuma; Lenalee kicks through five more while Cas slices a spear through a half dozen._

 _I drag my claws through the last one, and it erupts in a burst of smoke and fire._

 _"_ _Kid," Cas drops down beside me as Lenalee rushes over._

 _"_ _You guys alright?" I inquire of them._

 _"_ _Fine," Lenalee replies._

 _Cas whistles sharply, "That escalated quickly; I've never seen such a large scale attack on such an arbitrary location."_

 _"_ _I know," I agree, grasping my chin thoughtfully, "I wonder if it has something to do with Mother. She has been supporting the Black Order for a long time."_

 _Lenalee's eyes widen, "Then we better hurry up and find her."_

 _I nod in agreement, and we all take off._

* * *

 _We run the rest of the way to Mother's house, which is a small, brownstone structure nestled in a thicket beside a small, crystal blue lake. The sun hits it just right this time of the afternoon, glinting off the dozens of white, pink, and yellow flowers lining the pathway._

 _I pause before the garden wall of tan stone just as I spy a large man with a bald head and a huge ruddy face wearing overalls and a sun hat tending to some of the plants._

 _"_ _Barba!" I call to him._

 _He turns around, and his face instantly lights up when he sees me.  
"Hey! Allen!" the man thunders, "Long time, no see! Has it really been three years!" he exclaims as he bounds towards me._

 _I drop my suitcase as he bears down on me.  
"Good to see you too, but calm down!" _

_My words go unheeded as Barba crashes into me, unable to stop in time, and I'm sent flying back out through the garden gate, landing flat on my back in the grass. I'm momentarily stunned, only able to make out the fuzzy image of Timcampy dancing around my head._

 _"_ _Ugh," I groan, rolling over and spitting dirt out of my mouth._

 _"_ _Allen, you okay?" I glance up as Cas crouches down next to me._

 _"_ _I'll live," I reply as she hoists me to my feet by the elbow._

 _"_ _Allen," Barba chides, laughing deeply as he approaches us, "You're going to catch a cold sleeping on the ground."_

 _"_ _Yeah," I chuckle half-heartedly, "Silly me."_

 _Cas, meanwhile, is sizing Barba up with her mouth open, gaping as she takes in his massive build. Nearly seven feet tall and huge in the shoulders with arms like a tree trunk, Barba is rather physically imposing, but a complete sweetheart underneath.  
I smile at her reaction, "Cas, this is Barba, Mother's gardener and ward. Barba, this is-."_

 _"_ _Look at that hair!" Barba cuts me off, bending down to get in Cas's face, causing her to jerk back with a grimace. "For a second, I'd mistaken you for Cross. Where is the General, Allen? Didn't he come too?"_

 _I shake my head. "No. Actually, that's the reason we came here. You see-."_

 _However, Barba once again interrupts me as he spins on his heel and bolts back into the house, his big feet stomping with a sound like thunder as he goes, bellowing: "Mother! Allen's here, and he's brought_ girls _with him!"_

 _I laugh nervously. Lenalee rolls her eyes while Cas looks dumbfounded._

 _"_ _Come on," I say to them, and we all follow Barba inside._

 _The inside of Mother's home is small and simple but homely. There's a wooden table and chairs in the middle of the main room with a cabinet lined with china in the corner beside it. To the cabinet's left is a door that leads to the kitchen, to its right is another that leads to the bedrooms.  
Sitting at the table in the middle of the room is an old woman in a violet shawl. She has a flat, lined face with sunken dark eyes that is framed by long, stringy brown hair. She sits hunched over the table, smoking heavily._

 _"_ _Hello, Mother," I call to her._

 _She looks up at me, her face expressionless. Her eyes then slide to Cas and Lenalee standing beside me. She smirks, dousing her cigarette in an ash tray in the center of the table.  
"So, Allen, which one of these ladies is your girlfriend?"_

 _My heart skips a beat, "Uh, I don't know what Barba told you, but neither of them are my girlfriend," I quickly stammer._

 _"_ _I'm an Exorcist of the Black Order, thank you!" Lenalee snaps._

 _Mother chuckles, "I knew that," she gestures to her chest, indicating she saw the silver badge on Lenalee's jacket._

 _The girl flushes._

 _"_ _Your coat's a dead giveaway," Mother affirms, "And I notice you're wearing one as well, my boy," she adds to me._

 _I nod. "Yep, I completed my training, and about six months ago, I became an official Exorcist."_

 _Mother chuckles, "Pretty impressive for such a beansprout."_

 _"_ _Beansprout?" I feel my face flare up._

 _Lenalee giggles. "So Kanda isn't the only one. Everyone you know thinks you're short."_

 _"_ _I can't win," I grimace as Cas snorts into her hand._

 _"_ _And you," Mother jabs the end of her doused cigarette at her, causing Cas to abruptly stop laughing "You're Audrey's granddaughter, aren't you?"_

 _Cas raises an eyebrow. "You know my grandmother?"_

 _"_ _Of course I know her," Mother replies, waving a dismissive hand. "She's an admirable woman for putting up with Cross for all those years."_

 _Cas laughs slightly. "Yeah, I agree with you there."_

 _"_ _So, aren't you going to introduce your lady friends, Allen, or are you just going to stand there blushing like the skies to crimson burning?"_

 _This only makes my face burn harder while Cas roars with laughter.  
"Stop it," I half whine at her._

 _"_ _Hey," she thumps me reassuringly in the shoulder, "You're cute when you blush."_

 _I sigh, "Anyways, this is Lenalee Lee and Cassandra Williams. We call her Cas. Lenalee, Cas, this is Mother."_

 _"_ _Pleased to meet you," the former adds, bobbing a curtsy._

 _Cas bows. "Likewise."_

 _Mother nods in acknowledgement just as Barba shoulders in from the next room.  
"Allen, I hope you're hungry," he calls cheerfully as he sidles around the table, heaving a pot the size of a wash bucket in front of us, "I made my special stew. The girls will love it. Don't hold back now."_

 _Beside me, I saw Cas start salivating at the sight of the massive portions, and my stomach growls in response as well._

 _So, we dig in with gusto._

 _Barba is pleasantly surprised by Cas's appetite.  
"Wow! She eats almost as much as you, Allen!"_

 _I nod, my mouth too full to answer with words. The food is as good as I remember it._

 _As we eat, Mother turns to Lenalee.  
"Now tell me, girl: what is the reason for your coming here?"_

 _Somberly, Lenalee explains the death of General Yeegar and how her brother had assigned all available Exorcists into teams, so they could find and protect the four remaining Order Generals._

 _"_ _We were assigned to find General Cross," she concludes, "But no one knows where he is."_

 _I wipe my mouth on the back of my hand as I set down my empty bowl (fourth, fifth? I'd lost count).  
"That's why we came out here. I figured if anyone would know where Master Cross is, it'd be you."_

 _Mother jerks her head towards me. "And what makes you think I know where to find him?"_

 _I blink. "Well, weren't you his sponsor?"_

 _"_ _That man walked out of here leaving nothing but all of his debt behind him," Mother asserts with a huff, "To hell with him!"_

 _I grimace while Cas grumbles something into her food that sounded akin to 'prick'. I let my spoon fall from my hand, "I'm sorry. I think I've lost my appetite."_

 _Barba chuckles, "After all you ate, just say you're full." He urges, turning the now empty stew pot towards me._

 _"_ _Oh, we forgot to tell you," Cas suddenly pipes up, causing everyone to look her way. "When we were traveling here, we ran into a pack of Akuma."_

 _"_ _Yes, and I worried they might have been on their way to hurt you," I add._

 _Mother smirks, "And yet here I stand without a scratch on my head. In all my years, I've never been attacked by an Akuma."_

 _"_ _That may be true, but it still doesn't explain why so many of them were in the village," Lenalee muses._

 _"_ _Have you heard any strange rumors lately?" I inquire of Mother, "About Innocence or anything else odd?"_

 _"_ _No, I haven't, but I do know that the number of Akuma has gone up significantly in the past six months."_

 _Cas and I exchange a glance. That sounds suspicious._

 _"_ _If you ask me, these things are up to something," Mother continues, "And in a little town like this…" She abruptly trails off as she glances out the window. "I need everyone to hurry into the next room and keep quiet," she exclaims as she whirls back around to face us. "Now get going!"_

 _"_ _Why?" I ask just as I hear a knock at the door._

 _Lenalee looks as confused as me. "A guest?"_

 _"_ _Seems a little late for one," Cas remarks._

 _The knock comes again.  
"Yes, dear; I'm coming," Mother calls as she hurries across the room, pausing before my chair, "Listen: I want you to hear what she says, but she won't talk to me if there are other people here. Now get in the other room, keep your ears open and your mouth shut."_

 _With that, she exits the dining space towards the door._

 _"_ _Come on," Barba whispers, getting to his feet. Cas, Lenalee, and I do so as well, and we all hurry into the bedroom space on the other side of the china cabinet._

 _I crouch down on the floor with Cas and Lenalee kneeling beside me, and Barba standing over us, propping the door open just the barest amount to allow a little of the room to still be visible._

 _"_ _Liza, please come in." I hear Mother say, followed by the click of her cane and the sound of two pairs of footsteps moving across the floor. The old woman reappears in the dining room a second later followed by a young, pale girl with short brown hair wearing a forest green dress._

 _She stands with her hands clasped and her shoulders hunched, looking like she has all the world hanging on her shoulders. Her back is to the door, so I can't see her face, but I know her eyes are full of tears. When she speaks, there's a sob in her voice, "Mother…" her voice trails off as the tears start flowing thicker._

 _"_ _There now, dear," the old woman guides the girl, Liza, into a chair. She collapses against it, still crying harshly. "I know what the director told you. Your husband doesn't have much time left, does he?"_

 _"_ _No. He says we should enjoy what little time we have left together," Liza whispers, pressing a handkerchief to her eyes. "But when that time comes…" her voice breaks, "I won't know what to do with myself! I wish there was something I could do!" Her voice collapses into more weeping._

 _"_ _Oh, Liza, that's only natural," Mother says soothingly, placing a hand on the weeping woman's shoulder, "But all we can do is pray that Lenny gets better."_

 _"_ _When I was here before, the villagers would always come to Mother when they needed help or advice," I whisper to Cas and Lenalee. "I guess some things never change."_

 _"_ _Mother says that girl is working as a nurse at the local hospital," Barba adds, "The poor thing has a sick husband named Lenny that's staying there for treatment, but I don't think there's much hope he'll pull through."_

 _"_ _That's awful," Cas whispers._

 _"_ _Poor Liza," Lenalee agrees._

 _I reach up and gently brush the former's hand as Liza continues to sob._

 _"_ _I can't live without Lenny! He's all I have left, and I don't know if I can go on without him..." her voice trails off as she chokes on her tears, her shoulders trembling as she whispers, "If my husband dies, I will."_

 _"_ _You mustn't allow yourself to think such terrible things," Mother urges, "He needs you to be strong; you have to focus on giving Lenny the best life you can while you still have him. Do you understand, dear?"_

 _Eventually, Liza gets up to leave; Barba steps out of the room we're all huddled in and escorts her to the door.  
"I'll make sure Liza gets home safe," he says before closing it behind him._

 _Mother nods, "Thank you, Barba." The old woman then turns to the three of us, "She's been coming over almost every night lately. She doesn't have anyone else to lean on; that worries me about her."_

 _I nod in understanding, "A person's grief may be used against them by the Millennium Earl."_

 _Mother nods, "It's precisely why I want you three to make sure that doesn't happen."_

 _I incline my head in understanding. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Cas doesn't seem to be paying attention. She's staring down at her hands resting palm upon on the table, flexing her fingers experimentally._

* * *

 _The following morning, Mother instructs Cas, Lenalee, and me to take some flowers from the garden to the hospital for Liza's husband Lenny._

 _"_ _See you when you get back!" Barba calls from the door, "I grew those flowers myself; make sure they get there!"_

 _I wave back with one hand, gripping the bouquet of pansies with the other._

 _Cas doesn't say much as we walk back along the town's main road, which disturbs me. She usually has a lot to say, even when she's got a pipe in her teeth._

 _I'm about to ask what's wrong when a familiar voice reaches my ears.  
"Have a wonderful day!"_

 _I glance up in time to see the cobbler Richard we'd met yesterday pull a very attractive brunette woman into a deep, passionate kiss. She giggles as he tickles her ear before pulling away and hurrying off down the street, turning to flash a breathtaking smile over her shoulder, giving Richard a playful wave._

 _I feel my face flush up to the roots._

 _"_ _Ah, the travelers from yesterday," Richard exclaims upon seeing us standing behind him, "So, you've changed your mind, and you've come to order new shoes?"_

 _"_ _Um, no," I reply._

 _Richard chuckles at my still flaming face, Lenalee's is a similar shade. Cas always looks flushed, so I can't really tell if she's blushing or not. "Sorry about the little show I put on for you. That would be my lovely wife Sarah. Not bad looking, huh?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," I agree, fumbling, "I mean, no!"_

 _"_ _She's hot," Cas agrees._

 _Richard chuckles while Lenalee rolls her eyes.  
"Come on," she grabs each of our wrists and pulls us along._

 _"_ _If you want another look at Sarah, you should try getting sick!" Richard calls after us, "Those patients at the hospital don't know how well they've got it!"_

 _Sarah works at the hospital too? What a coincidence._

* * *

 _We run into Sarah upon entering the hospital lobby, and she offers to lead us to the room Liza's husband is staying in.  
"The hospital director had Lenny moved to a private room," Sarah explains as we climb the steps to the second floor, "Liza's been in there with him all day. She's told me all about Mother; I assume you three have come for her advice as well."_

 _"_ _That's right," I reply._

 _We're about to 'round a corner when a rough voice reaches my ears.  
"Is he serious? If he keeps running this hospital like a charity, we'll be bankrupt in no time. Out of my way!" A shrewd-looking man with slicked brown hair and glasses shoves me to the side as he stalks past._

 _Lenalee gapes after him. "Is that the Director?"_

 _"_ _Oh no, that's only Robert," Sarah asserts, "He may be a competent doctor, but he's also one of the greediest people I've ever met, and I'm not the only nurse around here that'll say so. He's constantly butting heads with the Director because he keeps admitting terminal cases for free, claims we can't turn a profit if he keeps it up."_

 _Cas raises an eyebrow, "He admits people for free? That's amazing."_

 _Sarah smiles, "I know. The Director's a wonderful man."_

 _As we approach what the nurse says is Lenny's room, Liza steps out of it along with a portly man with curly brown hair and moustache, whom I assume is the Director._

 _He turns to look at the young woman, his face grim. "I'm sorry, Liza, but he really has only a day or two left."_

 _Liza's face shatters at the news; she heaves a sob as she buries her face in her hands.  
The Director puts a hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "All you can do is enjoy the time you have with him."_

 _With that, he steps away, leaving Liza to cry alone._

 _"_ _Is she…?" Sarah's voice trails off as the Director walks past us._

 _"_ _I think we should give her a few moments to collect herself," he says to her before heading off down the hall._

 _"_ _Sarah?" She turns to me as I hold out the flowers I hadn't even noticed I'd been clutching so tightly. "Mother sent these for Liza and Lenny. Can you make sure they get them?"_

 _She accepts them, "You came all this way. You should give them yourself."_

 _I shake my head, dropping my eyes as a horrible feeling settles in my gut. "If that were to happen, I don't think I'd know what to say."_

 _"_ _I understand," Sarah says as Lenalee taps my shoulder._

 _"_ _We should go."_

 _"_ _Yeah, we should. C'mon, Cas. Cas?"_

 _I whip around to find the spot she'd occupied a second ago was gone._

 _"_ _Cas?"_

 _I turn back around just as the door to Lenny's hospital room is thrown open and the doctor named Robert we'd encountered before hauls a kicking and screaming Cas out by the elbow._

 _"_ _Let me go! Let me go! Please, I can help him!"_

 _Her pleas fall on deaf ears as Robert tosses her out into the hall.  
"Unauthorized procedures on patients is strictly prohibited. If I catch you in here again, I'll have security throw you out."_

 _With that, he slams the door behind her._

 _Cas staggers to her feet. Her eyes fall on Liza, who's looking at her with such a pained expression I'm sure it made even Cas's Innocence heart clench. With a wail, she buries her face in her hands and runs off._

 _"_ _Liza!" Sarah hurries after her._

 _Cas looks after them.  
"But I can…I can help."_

 _I take a step forward, holding out my hand to her. "Let's go. Maybe you'll get another chance."_

 _Cas grits her teeth, clenching her fists. "He doesn't have another chance!"  
With a snarl, she stalks past me and Lenalee, heading off the opposite way down the hall from Sarah and Liza._

* * *

 _We don't say much on the way home. It's almost night, and the streets are washed with the orange glow of sunset._

 _Cas walks ahead of Lenalee and me, head bent and gripping her arms tightly. I stare at her back, knowing how frustrated she must be._

 _She stops so suddenly I almost walk into her._

 _"_ _I tried to help," she whispers, "But I only made things worse…Why aren't I…? Why aren't I healing every person in that damn hospital?"_

 _She whirls around to run back up the street, but I grab her arm.  
"Cas, wait." She falters, looking at me with her gold eyes full of pain, "You told me that your Blood doesn't always work, that it doesn't always heal. Maybe it's…Maybe it's better not to give people false hope, people like Liza. It's the last thing they need."_

 _"_ _I could still try, couldn't I?" Cas cries, staring down at her hands, "I've killed so many Akuma, salvaged so many shards of Innocence, but I'd take that all away if I could heal one person, if my Blood wasn't always so focused on saving itself!" Her words rise to a shriek as she stands there, clenching her fists and breathing heavily._

 _Blood seeps from her eyes in twin streams, replacing the tears she's unable to shed._

 _"_ _Cas," I'm about to say something to her, but my voice is shrouded by the sound of a deafening crash; it echoes throughout the dwindling streets with a violent crunch and a noise like splintering wood._

 _Lenalee whips around.  
"That came from..."_

 _Her voice trails off as she breaks into a run, I'm right behind her as realization sinks in. Cas follows us after a minute, taking the lead pretty quickly as she races along on her long legs._

 _I draw up short when a crowd of people comes into our view; their gathered around a structure that looks like nothing but a pile of kindling. A cart that has lost control and crashed into a building; there's dust and splinters everywhere, a wheel spins uselessly and a horse's impaled carcass stains the cobblestones with bright red filth._

 _But that isn't the worst of it._

 _My heart stands still when I see an arm is poking out from under the destroyed carriage, a large, tanned arm, a familiar arm._

 _I manage to tear my eyes away, despite my thoughts screaming to see the sign_ Richard's Shoes _swinging in the wind above the wreckage._

 _Oh God…I sink to my knees as the murmurings of the crowd, the cries of Lenalee, and the sounds of Cas shoving through the throng, begging to be let through all filter away._

 _I'm dazed, I feel like everything's spinning._

 _A cart, a cart with twisted wheels, turning, turning out of control, a crash, a single crash, a single sound like an explosion, a man under a cart, a man…Mana. Holding a hand like Richard's, crying, begging the sky and the shadows and the darkness, screaming into oblivion._

 _I'm shaking all over._

 _"_ _God damn it all to hell!" Cas's scream of anguish draws me back into clarity, everything comes pouring back in that moment._

 _I look up to see that Cas is kneeling beside Richard, having partially pulled him from the wreckage. His body is broken, his face blunt and bloodied. Cas is crouched beside his large form, looking smaller than I'd ever seen her. Her red hair hangs in her face as she clutches Richard's hand so tightly it's like she's trying to pull him into herself, to make him a part of her, and then maybe, maybe her Blood might heal him._

 _I slowly stagger to my feet, feeling dizzy._

 _Someone is screaming, screaming like they're dying. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sarah a short way down the street, having come home from the hospital, still in her nursing dress already reeking of death. Each sound she utters from her collapsed state in the center of the street, not at all muffled by the onlookers gathered around to try and shield her, comfort her, it's like something is ripping her apart slowly._

 _Did I sound like that?_

 _I push my way through the people and go over to Cas; she's still gripping Richard's fingers tightly, her hot hand around his cold skin._

 _"_ _He died instantly," Cas whispers, her voice trembling, "There was nothing I could do. Damnit, there was nothing I could do!"_

 _She slams her free hand into the ground, the knuckles splintering and spurting blood against the stone._

 _"_ _What is the fucking point of having healing abilities if I can't save people?"_

 _I don't answer. I can't answer._

 _Eventually, someone comes to their senses and things start moving again. Some men move the cart away so Richard's body can be moved out from under it._

 _As they gather around, I place a hand on Cas's shoulder. "Come on. We should help."_

 _She doesn't answer as she lets Richard's hand slip from her own and slowly gets to her feet._

 _She looks at me and there's such a sharp, physical pain on her face. I rush into her almost on instinct, wrapping my arms around her waist as I bury my face in her chest. She falters for an instant before her hands encircle my shoulders, and she rests her chin on my head. I squeeze my eyes so tightly shut that not even a tear can slip out as I grip her still harder, like I might be able to crush all the sadness, all the pain within her to dust._

 _If only…_

 _If only._

 _Lenalee is beside us. She had been with Sarah before I think._

 _I turn my head to look at her; her face is swollen with tears._

 _Some men come with a stretcher. Sarah's screams have become the soundtrack of the scene; she's cried herself hoarse._

 _Cas moves first; I'm still holding her around the waist as she pulls me back along the road towards the hospital; Lenalee walks along behind us, slowly, heavily, silently._

 _The sky no longer looks orange._

 _Everything is darkness._

* * *

 _I sit beside Cas and Liza on a bench in the hospital corridor. It's dark because most of the patients are sleeping._

 _Lenalee is with Sarah and the Director is arranging the proceedings to have Richard's body moved to the morgue as a hospital would do no good for him now._

 _The silence is heavy in the air, made potent by the undercurrent of bitter emotions._

 _There's a horrid taste in my mouth._

 _I glance to my left to see Cas is leaning against the wall with her arms and legs crossed-a posture she always adapts when she feels the most vulnerable._

 _I want to hug her again, but my arms feel too heavy._

 _Cas is right; aside from all the good we do, all the lives we save, there are still those moments where you feel so helpless you want to scream._

 _This is one of those moments._

 _"_ _How's she doing?"_

 _Cas opens her eyes and jerks her head at my words as Lenalee approaches us. She had been seeing to Sarah._

 _"_ _Alright considering the circumstances," Lenalee's voice is very quiet as she sits down on the bench beside me, "The Director's with her now. He said there's something he needs to discuss with her. He's taking good care of her; I don't think there's anything to worry about."_

 _On the other side of me, Liza sniffs loudly._

 _"_ _Liza," I turn to face her, and she looks up at me with wide, wet eyes, "I know this isn't easy, but we're all here for you. Alright?"_

 _Tears pool in the young woman's eyes, but as I reach out and squeeze her hand, she smiles slightly and subtly for the first time since I'd met her._

* * *

 _We stay at the hospital for the remainder of the night. Liza sits with her husband Lenny for several hours, but Lenalee eventually persuaded her to get some sleep._

 _I see Lenny for a moment in this instance, he looks like a skeleton with skin, so pale and grey with huge black eyes so deeply sunken into his head, it's like they're almost consumed._

 _It turns my stomach, and makes me feel horrible and helpless all over again._

 _I don't get much sleep. The hospital is making me nervous-it's too quiet-and the benches are uncomfortable.  
Cas manages to drop off in spite of this, and slumps against my shoulder around two in the morning. I lean back against the wall and let her head gently fall into my lap, so she can rest more comfortably._

 _Her breathing is slow and even as she sleeps, and I'm strangely amused by the sight. She looks so relaxed and even a little vulnerable like this. I tenderly trail my fingers through the strands of her scarlet hair, smiling down at her in spite of myself._

 _Never in my life did I think I'd meet someone like her. Cas is strong, and brave, and loyal and she cares, she cares so much._

 _Cas mumbles something in her sleep, shifting against my knees as her hand goes up to absentmindedly grip at my sleeve. I'm somewhat surprised by the action as I gingerly reach out to pry her fingers from my coat and clasp them between my own, softly pressing my lips to them after a moment._

 _My face burns a second later, and I'm suddenly afraid that she may have woken up and seen me do that. However, she hasn't, and I'm slightly disappointed. I let her hand fall to rest at her side with a final squeeze before leaning back against the wall, the cold brick quelling the fire in my cheeks._

 _I close my eyes, sighing heavily._

 _Around me, the hospital is as silent as a cemetery, and I suppose in the way it is: a place full of living corpses just waiting to die like Liza's Lenny._

 _Such a fleeting, fervent life they each had, like a candle in the wind just waiting to be snuffed out._

 _Leaving those that love them behind with all their words left unspoken, their lives cut short by the scissors of fate._

 _I remember when I thought she might have been ripped from me; an Akuma in Mater plunging his hand through her chest, caught in the direct line of fire in the snow, crushed from the inside out in a vampire's castle, gasping and choking on her own life force._

 _In any moment, she might have been taken from me, or vice versa. It's all so very fragile, as fragile as the wheels on the cart that had killed Richard, that had killed Mana, and ripped everything away._

 _Surviving such moments of near death, as often and as frequent as we do, it's not uncommon to go numb, like Kanda, like Lenalee at times._

 _I suppose Cas and I are different in some ways. We have each other; we work well together; Komui saw that and made sure that we were always paired up on missions._

 _Although I've only known Cas for a little over six months, through her constant presence at my side through all things, she has become as essential to me as breathing, become something that I want to cling to tighter after every time I've almost lost her._

 _We have time, unlike Liza and Lenny there is no immediate peril. But I must face the reality that Cas and I are Exorcists, and each of our lives could vanish from this world like a puff of smoke.  
There can't be any regrets._

 _My eyes open.  
"I have to tell her."_

* * *

 _"_ _God, my back hurts," Cas flexes her shoulders with a groan, "Those hospital benches feel like they're made of cement."_

 _It's dawn, the sky is peach-colored above our heads as Cas, Lenalee, and I exit the hospital.  
I look at former, at the way her hair almost looks orange in the early morning life._

 _"_ _What are you grinning at?"_

 _"_ _Huh?" I blink, rapidly dropping my eyes, "Nothing."_

 _Cas snorts. She's in a better mood today. We all are._

 _First thing this morning, we'd learned from Liza that Lenny was actually feeling better today. His cough didn't seem as bad, and he managed to stomach a bit of light broth._

 _I was overjoyed at the news, so grateful that Liza's prayers had been answered._

 _There's still hope._

 _We make our way through downtown at a surprising pace as there's not much traffic.  
I soon see why, however, as we near Richard's shop._

 _The debris has been cleared away, allowing a path along the cobblestones for the hearse, trundling along at a somber pace._

 _Richard's funeral._

 _Passerby each stop and bow their heads as the black cart passes by. Lenalee, Cas, and I do the same._

 _I lift my head after a moment, catching a glimpse of Sarah's veiled face amidst the line of black trailing after the carriage._

 _There's a sting in my iris as my left eye activates._

 _My stomach heaves as horror sinks in.  
"No…" My voice is barely a whisper, "No way."_

 _Lenalee jerks up, her eyes meet mine and they reflect my horror.  
"No, she wouldn't-Not Sarah!"_

 _But I see, plain as day, the rotting soul of Richard hovering over Sarah's bent head and clasped hands, the picturesque vision of a grieving widow, all but me unaware of what lurked beneath._

 _My insides churn. I feel like I'm going to be sick._

 _"_ _I don't understand," Cas hisses, "When could this have happened? She never set foot outside the hospital."_

 _Sarah's corpse suddenly stops, and we all return our attention to it just as her skin breaks, and the body shrieks as its ripped apart to reveal the Akuma._

 _The crowd screams and scatters as poison bullets pepper the street._

 _A child falls as the Akuma surges forward._

 _Lenalee's legs erupt into light as she dives between them, snatching the boy up before the monster can strike._

 _"_ _Everyone run!" Cas screams as I bolt forward._

 _My mind is racing almost as fast as my feet are hitting the hard ground beneath me._

The Millennium Earl doesn't let anyone's grief go unnoticed. I knew that! I knew and I still let this happen! _My anger fuels me to run faster as my arm activates, burning all over all._

 _Images of Sarah flash through my mind: her beautiful smile, her worry for Liza, her kiss as she leaves Richard for work. Their last kiss.  
My anger is blinding, anger at the Earl, anger at myself._

 _If only we'd been more careful._

 _If only…_

 _If…_

 _"_ _Allen, watch out!" Cas's scream rips through my aura of blinding rage; seconds, later a ribbon of Blood curls around my leg and yanks me back._

 _I fall on my face in the dirt, feeling the heat of Akuma bullets fly over my head._

 _"_ _Cas," I start to sit up as she leaps over my head, her Blood hardening into a claw, and she jams it through the Akuma's side._

 _I watch as the creature breaks apart with a scream, the chains of the soul within shattering with it._

 _I clench my fists as my arm deactivates, slowly shifting to my knees._

 _Cas turns and hurries back over to me._

 _"_ _You trying to get yourself killed?" she snaps, grabbing my wrist and pulling me to my feet, "You can't just rush in blindly."_

 _"_ _I-" My response is cut off as Cas suddenly grabs me around the middle and pulls me into a crushing hug, actually lifting me slightly off the ground. She pressing her face against my shoulder as I eventually relax into her grip.  
"It's not your fault," she whispers in my ear, and a slight gasp escapes my lips. Cas's empath; she'd felt what I'd felt. "You can't blame yourself."_

 _"_ _I-I know," I falter slightly as I pull back from her, dropping the soles of my feet onto the ground as I place my hands on her shoulders, "We have to get back to the hospital."_

 _"_ _Why there?" Lenalee calls, racing towards us._

 _I step away from Cas and turn towards her. "Something happened there, and we need to find out what."_

* * *

 _The sky turns overcast, the promise of a sunny day no longer coming to fruition as Lenalee, Cas, and I race back towards the large white building._

 _I draw up short at the steps, startled to see Barba standing in front of the doors._

 _"_ _Barba!" I call to the gardener, and he slowly turns towards us. I instantly see the grief heavy and dark on his usually warm, smiling face and my stomach does a somersault._

 _"_ _Allen…" his voice is so quiet as twin streams of tears start to poor thickly down his face._

 _"_ _What is it?" Cas inquires as he staggers down the steps._ _He barely makes it down the last one before he falls to his knees and starts sobbing._

 _As if she even needs to ask, we all already know._

 _Barba snivels loudly, hardly able to get the words out, "Lenny…Oh, poor Liza. She loved Lenny so much!" He then collapses into more sobs._

 _Lenalee claps a hand to her mouth, tears of her own pooling in her purple eyes._

 _"_ _But-But how…?!" Cas's voice is fraught with disbelief, "He was feeling better this morning. He was eating; he was smiling. How can he be…?" she breaks off._

 _"_ _Where's Liza?" I ask Barba._

 _He's about to respond when a sharp voice calls to him from the top of the steps.  
"Are you here to clean out Lenny's stuff?"_

 _We all look up to see the sleek, bespectacled doctor Robert we'd encountered yesterday, his face just as sour as before.  
"Hurry up and get it. We need the bed," he spat at Barba, turning on his heel. "You can't trust anyone these days."_

 _I scowl after him as he turns on his heel, and the hospital door slams in his wake._

 _Still sniffling heavily, Barba picks himself up and heads inside. Lenalee and I follow him._

* * *

 _The room Lenny had slept in is cold. The sheets are pulled back; I wonder if they've been washed, if they're still warm._

 _There's the bouquet of flowers we'd brought sitting in a vase on the bedside table and a brown leather coat hanging on a hook by the door._

 _These are all just things, but now each one is tangible memory._

 _Where was Liza?_

 _"_ _Hey, what are you doing in here?"_

 _I whip around to see a stern looking nurse peering at Lenalee over a pair of black square glasses._

 _She blinks in confusion. "Me?"_

 _The nurse clicks her tongue as she glances at her clipboard. "I thought that was you. Don't you know better than to go wandering into patient's rooms without authorization?"  
She then grabs the startled girl's hand and starts pulling her towards the door. "My apologies," she adds to Barba, Cas, and me, "It's hard enough doing this job without having to babysit all the trainees."_

 _"_ _Trainees? But I-" Lenalee stammers as the nurse pulls her into the hall._

 _"_ _You were instructed like all the others to find me, the Head Nurse, as soon as you arrived. How do you expect to work here if you can't even do that?"_

 _"_ _Please, hold on a second, miss," I start, but Lenalee cuts me off._

 _"_ _I'm so sorry, ma'am, this hospital is just so big and I got lost. It won't happen again, I promise."_

 _I gape in confusion before Lenalee turns and gives us a wink._

 _Beside me, Cas shoots her a thumbs up before the Head Nurse snatches her arm again and pulls her down the corridor. "Come on. We need to get going. We're shorthanded today, and need all the help we can get!"_

 _"_ _That was clever," Cas remarks, leaning against the doorway._

 _"_ _You sure that was a good idea?" Barba inquires._

 _I smile, "Don't worry. Lenalee can take care of herself."_

 _"_ _I thought I told you to get this stuff cleared away," I whip around in time to see the doctor Robert again._

 _Can this guy teleport or something?_

 _He glares at Barba, making the big man falter slightly.  
"Go on, get to it. And you," he turns to Cas and me, "If you aren't going to be helpful than get lost."_

 _I'm about to do as he says; if only to avoid a fight as I have an overwhelming urge to kick him in the shines, but Cas suddenly speaks up._

 _"_ _Actually, we're looking for someone: Liza. She's the wife of a recently deceased patient, Lenny. Do you happen to know where she is?"_

 _Robert scowls. "I don't make it my business, but if she's grieving she's probably in the chapel."_

 _"_ _Thank you," Cas then takes my hand and pulls me off down the hall._

 _We find the chapel fairly easily. The door to it is open the barest amount, allowing us to see in.  
It's a tiny space with low wooden benches. The walls are painted green with purple break and there's a low altar with a bronze crucifix hanging above it. A black coffin is resting on top of the altar, a bouquet of forget-me-nots nestled in the middle._

 _Before the alter kneels Liza, her form shrunken and heavy as she bends, crushed under her grief, her sobs permeating the walls._

 _Cas starts forward, but I pull her back as a voice suddenly speaks over Liza's cries._

 _"_ _Have you had a chance to think about what we'd discussed earlier?" the Director inquires as he steps into view, "I want you to be back on your feet, but in order to do that, we need to act soon. That's why I still believe the method I proposed is the best option."_

 _I look at Cas._

 _What is he talking about?_

 _I lean slightly on the door. The Director jumps and whirls around as it opens wider. "Hello?"_

 _"_ _Oh, I apologize," I quickly say, "Hello."_

 _"_ _Allen. Cas," Liza looks up. Her face is raw and pale, but she at least looks happy to see us._

 _"_ _You know these two?" the Director inquires of her._

 _"_ _Yes, I met them through Mother, the woman who's been helping me."_

 _"_ _Ah, yes," the Director nods, "The woman who gives advice."_

 _"_ _Yes, that's her," I step forward, "We're currently Mother's acting apprentices."_

 _The Director's eyes narrow slightly. "What are you doing here?"_

 _"_ _We heard Lenny passed away, and we came to pay our respects," Cas explains._

 _"_ _His funeral will be held tomorrow," the Director responds rather forcefully, "Now I'd prefer it if Liza were left alone for a while."_

 _"_ _Yes, but-" I start, but he cuts me off._

 _"_ _Please, just leave, son; if you truly want to help Liza, then the best thing you can do for her is go home."_

 _"_ _No, no, it's alright." Liza speaks a little louder as she slowly gets to her feet. She turns to Cas and me, "Will you stay?"_

 _"_ _Oh, of course," Cas is slightly taken aback by the earnest in her eyes._

 _"_ _Okay, they can stay if that's what you want."_

 _"_ _Thank you, Director. I appreciate that."_

 _"_ _Just promise me you'll think about what we discussed," the man says as he places a hand on her shoulder. "It's important, Liza; I'll need to know your answer soon."_

 _"_ _Sure."_

 _With that, the Director leaves._

 _"_ _What was that about?" Cas inquires._

 _Liza drops her eyes. "He's trying to get me to take some counseling. He said that losing Lenny is a major trauma and to heal the hole in my heart, I'll need help."_

 _I feel a surge of sympathy as I look at her. Liza looks so small, so shaken. Like she might crumble to dust before my eyes._

 _She silently turns and kneels back down before the coffin, crying again although quieter this time._

 _Cas opens her mouth to say something, but I pointedly grab her arm and pull her over to one of the pews further back from the altar._

 _We sit in silence for a while as Liza cries, and we allow her to have the time to expel her grief, to feel it whole and completely. To let it flow through and out of her, so that it may not be bottled up inside where it would be left to rot._

 _The shadows grow longer against the purple stone. Cas and I sit behind the weeping woman, hoping to sooth that ache by simply being here._

 _After a time, Liza starts taking. Her voice startles me somewhat, its quiet and hoarse, and I'm not sure who's she's speaking to, but I listen all the same._

 _"_ _At first, Lenny only had slight pneumonia; the doctor's told us he'd be released in a week or so, but no matter what they did, he didn't get any better. From that point on, I started believing that it was my fault, that I wasn't good enough at caring for him."_

 _"_ _But Lenny didn't believe that, did he?" Cas speaks up, "I'm sure he told you it wasn't your fault."_

 _"_ _Yeah," Liza lets out a breathy sigh, "He was always smiling, trying to encourage me. It wasn't long after that he told me he was starting to have feelings for me, which was great because I was attracted to him. Especially that smile. But then…" A sob escapes Liza's lips as she curls her shaking hands into fists, "ust days after we'd said 'I love you' to each other for the first time, the Director told us the bad news. He had diagnosed Lenny with a terminal illness. Of course Lenny was upset about it, but he-he accepted his fate and took everything in stride. He was so calm! When anyone else would have been a wreck finding out they had only weeks to live!"  
It's becoming harder and harder to understand Liza as her voice thickens with her cries, "Instead, he was more worried about me then himself. I'm sorry, but I can't stop crying."_

 _I'm on my feet and over to her in an instant, overwhelmed with empathy in that moment.  
"It's okay to cry. You should at a time like this," I kneel down beside Liza, placing a hand on her shaking shoulder, "When I lost someone dear to me, I cried my eyes out for days, weeks even."_

 _Liza looks at me. Her eyes are true reflection of her soul, drowning in grief, glowing in the half-light.  
"You lost someone? Who?"_

 _"_ _My father."_

 _"_ _How did you get over the pain of losing him? How did you get over the empty feeling in the pit of your heart?"_

 _I sigh heavily, trying to keep my smile even. I feel heavy, "Even now it's really hard for me to talk about Mana, but I still rely on him for support even though he's gone, and I'm able to go on each day because I still have all the fond memories of when he was alive. As long as I don't forget about him, Mana will continue to live on inside me for the rest of my life."_

 _Liza drops her eyes, the grief slipping between her long lashes as she clasps her hands over her heart. Her skin looks white in the pale light of the moon, fragile like porcelain but still hard like marble stone.  
"You're right," her voice is barely a whisper. "That's nice, and it makes sense. Lenny will live inside me as long as I don't forget."_

 _"_ _Yes, that's it," I squeeze her shoulder, "You'll be okay."_

 _Liza nods. "Thank you, Allen."_

 _I'm slightly alarmed when I feel Cas tap my shoulder, "Allen. We should go. Visiting hours are almost over."_

 _I nod, slowly getting to my feet._

 _"_ _Thank you both," Liza turns to look up at us, her eyes shining, "For staying with me."_

 _I smile, "Of course."_

 _Cas then bends down and places two finger against Liza's chest, tapping them reassuringly._

 _With that silent gesture, she turns and leaves._

 _I hurry after her, alarmed when she suddenly stops just outside the chapel door._

 _"_ _What is it?"_

 _"_ _You're so kind, Allen."_

 _I falter, startled at the abruptness of the compliment._

 _"_ _Uh, thank you."_

 _"_ _Really. I mean it," Cas turns to look at me, and she's got that expression on her face I've come to recognize as her demure substitute for tears. "You're the kindest person I've ever met."_

 _My heart swells. I feel slightly weightless._

 _"_ _Thanks, Cas."_

* * *

 _Lenny's funeral is the following day. He's buried on a hill overlooking the lakes; it's a lovely spot under a tree, quiet and serene.  
Liza places another bouquet of blue forget-me-nots on top of the polished gravestone. The crowd presses in around her, there are no tears, only silence as everyone pays their respects._

 _Despite the somber atmosphere, I smile slightly. My left eye hasn't activated. Liza isn't an Akuma._

 _She has to go to work that afternoon, which alarms me. Barba, Cas, and I offer to walk her to the hospital as Lenalee is still working her 'shift' as a nurse._

 _"_ _They've already got you working so soon after the funeral? I guess that must be pretty rough," Cas remarks._

 _"_ _It's fine. I'd rather have something to take my mind off of things."_

 _"_ _Just don't push yourself too hard," I urge her._

 _Liza laughs slightly, turning to face us. "Thanks for looking out for me, you guys, really."_

 _I nod reassuringly._

 _Liza turns to leave, but Barba stops her._

 _"_ _Wait! I almost forgot about this!" The woman whirls back around as he reaches into the pocket of his overalls and pulls out an envelope._

 _"_ _Mother asked me to give you this letter."_

 _Liza looks taken aback. "It's for me?"_

 _Barba nods. Slowly, she accepts the letter, glancing at it before hurrying up the steps and into the building._

 _The door has barely closed behind her before Cas cries out.  
"Lenalee!"_

 _She points to the third floor of the building where I can just make out Lenalee in a nurse's uniform beside a frail looking woman. She's being yelled at by that doctor Robert._

 _Has she been found out?_

 _Worse than that, my left eye activates._

 _The woman jerks her head back, her body writhing as her skin peels away, and the Akuma beneath slithers out._

 _"_ _Cas, come on!" I yell, my arm activating as I rush forward and leap into the air. The glass shatters as my claws splinter the panes, furthering my momentum as I push into the hall and slice my Anti-Akuma Weapon straight through the Akuma's chest._

 _As it erupts, Robert falls to his knees, his face ghostly pale. "What the hell is going on here?"_

 _"_ _Did you get it?"_

 _I turn to see Cas perched on the windowsill just as several more patients appear from their bedrooms. Their bodies contort as they stagger forward like sleepwalkers, more Akuma bursting from their skins._

 _"_ _No! No!" Robert's shrieks abruptly fade as he falls backwards against the floor in a dead faint._

 _"_ _This entire hospital is like some kind of Akuma manufacturing plant," Cas remarks, dropping to the carpet beside me, several tendrils of Blood slithering out from under her sleeves._

 _"_ _That's exactly what happened," Lenalee replies, "Someone in this hospital has sold their soul to the Millennium Earl."_

 _I grit my teeth as the Akuma before us cock their weapons, "And these poor people have become his victims." There's an intense green glow beside me as Lenalee activates her Boots, "Let's save these tormented souls."_

 _I leap forward as the Akuma start firing. Explosions ring in my ears as we evade their attacks, each of us slicing through one of the creatures._

 _Dust spills across the hospital halls as the monsters erupt to ashes._

 _Lenalee drops down beside me as I take a moment to catch my breath.  
My adrenaline is burning in my veins.  
"It's the Director," she says to me, "He's the broker. He's been using dying patients and their loved ones to form Akuma building an army for the Earl. He's even making money off of it."_

 _My insides constrict at her words.  
I'm suddenly reminded of our encounter with the Noah Road Kamelot in the Rewinding Town. A human that had sided for the Akuma._

 _At least Road somewhat had an excuse by being turned into a Noah and fueled by the hatred of its memories._

 _All that seemed to motivate the Director was cold hard cash._

 _I feel like I might be sick._

 _Lenalee gestures to the unconscious Robert lying on the ground, "When I found out he had money problems, I was suspicious of Robert, but he was shocked at the sight of an Akuma, leaving the Director as our best suspect."_

 _Cas cracks one of her Blood tendrils.  
"Then let's hurry. We have to stop him from creating any more Akuma."_

 _I nod, and we all take off running down the corridors. We don't encounter anymore Akuma along the way, but my adrenaline still burns through my limbs, my heart hammering in my ears._

 _We eventually reach the Director's office. I jerk the handle, but the door doesn't budge.  
"It's locked."_

 _"_ _Your things are already prepared," the Director's voice comes from the other side of the door. "I just need to set up an appointment for you."_

 _My eyes widen, and we all press in around the door, listening in on what's going on behind it._

 _"_ _Once that is made, the only thing you'll have to do is call his soul back. It'll be very easy."_

 _Call his soul back?_

 _I turn to look at Cas and Lenalee, both returning my knowing glance._

 _"_ _All you'll have to do is say his name, and Lenny will literally come back to life," the Director continues, "Well, aren't you excited, Liza?"_

 _"_ _I am," Liza's voice is heard now, "I want to see him so badly."_

 _I feel desperation flare up inside me. I want to scream and yell and beat the door down, do anything to stop her, but something holds me back._

 _"_ _Good girl, you've made the right decision," the Director commends as there's a sound of a chair scraping against the floor like he's standing up, "I'll go make the call."_

 _"_ _I do want to see him," Liza whispers, and there's something in her voice that makes me pause, "But I-I don't need him to come back to life."_

 _"_ _Excuse me?" the Director sounds aghast._

 _"_ _I don't need him to come back because he already lives in my heart."_

 _"_ _That nonsense isn't going to help anyone!" I can hear the Director's anger._

 _Enough of this._

 _I pound the door. "Liza, open up!"_

 _"_ _Liza!" Cas adds._

 _A growl reverberates from down the shadowed hall. I jerk my head towards it, and my eye activates._

 _Damn it._

 _An Akuma slides into view._

 _Three more appear from behind us._

 _"_ _Allen, get Liza!" Cas calls to me as her Blood snaps out from under her coat and slices through the Akuma before us. Lenalee turns around, activating her Dark Boots as she kicks through two of them behind us._

 _The third skirts around her, flying awkwardly as it smashes through the door. The wood splinters with a loud crash as the stone crumbles._

 _The Akuma falls into the office like a punctured hot air balloon._

 _I catch a glimpse of Liza on the ground, the Director kneeling over her with a chloroform soaked cloth pressed to her mouth. He glances up and his big fat faces turns sickly white at the sight of the bulbous monsters._

 _He screams and staggers back as I slice through the Akuma. It erupts around us, knocking the Director against the wall and destroying more of his office._

 _"_ _Who-Who are you?" the Director cries, staggering to his feet._

 _I slowly lower my arm. "I am Allen Walker, an Exorcist of the Black Order and an enemy of the Earl of Millennium. I destroy Akuma."_

 _The Director sniggers. "You oppose the Earl?"_

 _"_ _No need to get smart," Cas calls as she and Lenalee step through the large hole in the office wall, "We destroyed all your Akuma. It's over."_

 _The Director growls, "Let me guess, you're Exorcists too?"_

 _"_ _And we know what you are," Lenalee asserts, "You're a Soul-Broker, aren't you? You've been collaborating with the Earl by using your patients as materials for his army and turning a nice profit while you're at it."_

 _I step forward.  
"What drives a man to do such a thing? You're human! Don't you realize what the Earl is-."_

 _"_ _Stay where you are!" the Director pulls a gun._

 _"_ _Allen," Cas steps in front of me._

 _"_ _You want to know why I did it?" the Director snarls, "I did it for the people! The people living in this town!"_

 _"_ _What do you mean?" I whisper._

 _"_ _The only chance a rat-hole like this has of developing is if a hospital is opened up here, otherwise it will die." As he speaks, the Director slowly backs ups, not taking his eyes off us as he slowly unlocks a safe and takes out a big stack of money. "All I ever did, I did for this town."_

 _"_ _That's enough!"_

 _I jump and whirl around just as a tiny figure carrying a walking stick strides past me._

 _"_ _Mother! What are you doing here?"_

 _She doesn't respond, just saunters up the Director, who barely has time to react before she knocks him across the face with her cane so hard it sends him flying off his feet to land flat on his back amidst the falling bills, out cold._

 _Cas, Lenalee, and I all gape in shock just as Barba comes up behind us, Timcampy perched in his straw hat.  
"I was worried about you three, so I called Mother to make sure everything was alright. With her here, I knew there wouldn't be anything to worry about."_

 _Cas snorts, "You've got that right."_

 _Lenalee shakes her head in awe, "I can't believe she knocked him out in one shot."_

 _"_ _Oh, I'm not finished," Mother calls to us, "I'll make sure he atones for his terrible sins against humanity. I'll make sure he sees the terrible mistake he's made by putting all those souls in danger." She turns to look at us, a burning intensity in her dark eyes, "You three should never forget what you saw here today. The Earl doesn't just turn humans into Akuma, he manipulates their desires and enslaves their minds and souls, playing on their vices and greed."_

 _We all nod. "Right."_

 _Mother sighs as Barba sidles past ups and gathers up Liza in his arms._

 _"_ _It will be a tough fight, but remember that not all humans are weak enough to fall under the Earl's spell like Liza here. Through it all, she never lost her strength or will, even when the odds were stacked against her."_

 _I smile slightly at this. I'm so proud of Liza._

* * *

 _Once she wakes up, Barba, Lenalee, Cas, and I all go with Liza to visit Lenny's grave. The cemetery is bathed in gold from the evening sun, shining off Lenny's polished white headstone in a most becoming manner._

 _We stand a little ways back from Liza as she looks down at the stone with her hands clasped.  
"I'm not as strong as I've been made out to be," she says after a pause, "There are many times I thought I would crack, but this letter that Mother gave me has made me feel better. It's from Lenny, he wrote it when he was still in the hospital. He says those same words that you said to me, Allen: that he will always be with me no matter what, and I believe that. I'm certain of it."_

 _I smile as she turns and takes my hand, I squeeze hers in response. "I'm glad."_

 _With one final nod of thanks and farewell, Liza then walks off down the hill into the shadows of sunset._

 _Lenalee looks after her, smiling wistfully.  
"Liza has a full life ahead of her."_

 _Cas nods in agreement, "And it will be nice to have Lenny at her side."_

 _"_ _We should probably get back to Mother's, so I can make dinner," Barba declares._

 _"_ _Yes, please!" Cas exclaims, and I feel my stomach growl as well at the words._

 _I'm slightly startled when she takes my hand, "Come on, kid; I'll race ya!"_

 _"_ _Hey, wait!" I cry, stumbling slightly as Cas tugs my forward as she takes off down the hill, laughing the whole way as the wind streams through her long red hair._

 _I look at her and start laughing as well as I let her pull me along._

 _Well, I suppose it's now or never._

* * *

 _"_ _Okay," I'm breathing deeply as I grip the sides of the sink, looking up at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. I've spent the last ten minutes or so fussing with my hair, but no matter what I do, I can't seem to make it lie flat._

 _Then I realized that my appearance didn't mean squat if I didn't have my words straight.  
"Cas…" I begin, straightening up as I gestured to my reflection, "Theres' something I… That is to say I…Well…Since I met you, I-No! That's not right. Ugh!" _

_I wilt slightly, pressing my head against the cold porcelain of the sink, finding it slightly difficult to breath and like I might potentially throw up._

 _My thoughts are racing inside my mind. What if she says she doesn't feel the same? What if she says nothing at all? What if she laughs at me?_

 _I think of Emma and Cas's cold Innocence Heart, and everything makes me want to scream._

 _Forget fighting hordes of murderous Akuma, this is the scariest thing I've ever done in my life._

 _"_ _No," I try to calm myself down, squeezing my eyes shut and slowly lifting my head, still gripping the sides of the sink so hard my knuckles go white._

 _Only one life, and it's so fragile, and she could die tomorrow or I could. Remember that from the other night, remember all the things you wanted to say to Mana if he was still here, remember that you can't have any regrets!_

 _But that all seems so far away now, and I've obviously lost my nerve._

 _I clap both my hands around my nose and mouth and breath in deeply, trying to center myself despite my thoughts going a mile a minute.  
"What would Cross do in this situation…Who am I kidding?!"_

 _Master Cross had never been much help with these kinds of things. He might have been able to tell me how to get into Cas's pants but not…Wow._

 _The idea of sleeping with Cas makes me feel things so intense I have to take a second for a breather._

 _"_ _Just say it!" I say to myself, slapping the sides of my face, trying to stave off the need for a cold shower. "It's three stupid words."_

 _I feel a surge of something, I'm not sure what, but it gets me out the door and down the hall before my head can catch up to my body._

 _I falter somewhat in the doorway when I see Cas sitting at the table across the room, talking with Lenalee._

 _She's laughing through the silver smoke of her pipe clenched in her teeth._

 _God, she's so beautiful._

 _"_ _Hey, Allen. There you are, where have you been?"_

 _I jump about a foot in the air when Lenalee addresses me._

 _"_ _I-um," My voice cracks. Of course it does! "Lenalee," I stiffen as I turn to face her, "Can I talk to Cas about something, in private?"_

 _Lenalee raises an eyebrow, looking slightly taken aback.  
"Oh! Um, sure. Of course?"_

 _With that, she quickly gets up from the table and hurries into the kitchen to help Barba with the dinner, closing the door behind her._

 _The sound is deafening in my ears, drowned out only by the pounding of my heart._

 _It's now or never._

 _"_ _Allen, are you alright? You look like you're going to puke."_

 _"_ _I'm fine," I insist, yanking out the chair across from Cas and sitting down in it a little too forcefully._

 _I glance up to see she's doused her pipe and is looking at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion._

 _Well, this is off to a good start._

 _I wish I knew poetry._

 _"_ _Well, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"_

 _I drop my eyes again, Cas's are too intense for me right now._

 _Everything's too intense, like it's the aftermath of an explosion._

 _I look down at my hands resting in my lap, feeling anxiety and anticipation bubbling in my stomach._

 _In a surge of nerve, I suddenly reach out and grasp Cas's hand.  
There's no words prepared, nothing to go on aside from a single, complex emotion._

 _"_ _Cas, I-."_

 _"_ _Cassandra!" Mother's sharp voice slices through the moment, and we both turn as she leans around the doorframe to the next room. "Telephone for you. It's from the Order. They said it's urgent."_

 _Cas looks back at me. I feel dizzy._

 _She smirks at me, holding up a finger, "Hold that thought."_

 _She then gets up and strides out of the room, past Mother towards the hall phone._

Come back, _I think weakly._

 _I then realize that Mother is staring at me, and it's the kind of expression I can't really ignore as she gives me a hard look through the smoke of the cigarette she's furiously puffing on._

 _"_ _What is it?" I ask her._

 _"_ _Tell me, Allen. Do you trust Cas?"_

 _I jump at the question; my eyes widen in bemusement.  
"I-Of course I do! I trust her with my life."_

 _Mother gives me a hard look, clasping her cigarette between her thumb and forefinger as she jabs it in my direction.  
"Well, I wouldn't if I were you. There is a sliver of ice inside her heart."_

 _I stiffen at her words, unsure of what to say in response. My fingers curl into fists against the table. I slowly rise to my feet as I stare Mother down, she looks back unwaveringly._

 _"_ _How can you say that? She's-"_

 _In that instant, Lenalee pokes her head in from the kitchen._

 _"_ _Dinner's ready!"_

 _Why does life hate me?_

 _Barba comes into the room carrying a pot roast platter the size of a wheelbarrow which he deposits proudly in the center of the table._

 _I shrink back from it somewhat; despite its appetizing aroma, food is-for once-the last thing on my mind._

 _Cas reappears as Barba is laying out the silverware and Lenalee and Mother are taking their places.  
She looks a little upset._

 _I'm on my feet in an instant, knocking the chair back a few good inches.  
"Cas, what's wrong?"_

 _She shakes her head. "It's nothing. It's just…I have to go."_

 _"_ _Go? Go where?" Lenalee inquires._

 _"_ _You're brother's reassigning me," Cas explains, "I'm supposed to head back to Headquarters and then go with Kanda to Germany to pick up another Exorcist. They're going to Spain to locate General Tiedol."_

 _"_ _What about your assignment with us?" I protest perhaps a little to loudly, "I thought you were assigned to find Cross?"_

 _Cas shrugs, "And that still stands, it's just that Komui doesn't want Kanda going that far on his own. He says that after…Well, after General Yeegar, it would be imprudent for Exorcists to travel on their own."_

 _I catch the meaning in her words, and am somewhat abated, despite also wanting to rip my hair out in this moment._

 _Lenalee stands up, "So, when are you leaving?"_

 _"_ _Tonight. My train leaves in an hour."_

 _My heart sinks._

 _She was leaving. Never mind my failed attempt at a confession, Cas was going away, and who knows when I would see her again. If I..._ _No.  
I banish those thoughts as Barba jumps to his feet and scurries back into the kitchen to make Cas a 'doggy bag' to take for the road._

 _I move around him as he does so, approaching Cas, who looks my way incredulously._

 _I slowly reach up and wrap my arms around her neck, pulling myself up to her height as I press into her, gripping her tightly, in a crushing embrace that I hoped might, in some small way reflect the emotions churning inside me like a shook up soda can._

 _How desperately I need her. How terribly I'm going to miss her._

 _"_ _Be careful," I finally whisper in her ear._

 _"_ _Of course," Cas pulls back slightly and gives me a dazzling smile, "When am I not? And at least we know where Tiedol is. He's in Spain, so you can come down and get me in a few weeks once we find him, and then we can head on after Cross. I'm sticking that one out for the long haul. I promised to punch him in the face, remember?"_

 _I laugh slightly, my emotions are all mixed up on the inside, but I try not to let it show. "Alright then."_

 _Cas then glances at Lenalee, who's watching us with an unreadable expression.  
"Take good care of the beansprout for me, would you?"_

 _Lenalee laughs while I beat my fist against Cas's chest, half-whining her name._

 _She then turns to Mother, who regards her coldly; she extends her hand,  
"It was nice meeting you."_

 _The old woman takes her hand after a moment. "Likewise."_

 _I catch her eyes flit my way in that moment, and I feel my stomach turn slightly._

 _Ice in Cas's heart._

 _What did Mother mean by it?_

 _"_ _Well, alright then," Cas announces, going to the door and picking up her suitcase. Barba reappears from the kitchen and gives her a grocery bag brimming with food._

 _"_ _Good luck," he says to her._

 _Cas winks at him; as she turns to leave, she raises a hand in a final farewell.  
"See ya."_

 _"_ _Goodbye, Cas," I call after her as she slips out the door._

I love you.

* * *

 _A/N: I know, I'm horrible, and yes, Cas and Allen will be separated again, but only for like two chapters so don't get too worried about it. In the meantime, Cas may have another run in with Tyki in the near future which may have some interesting results. Stay tuned for more, and leave a review on your way out.  
Thanks again to all my lovely readers for over a hundred followers!:)_


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: You know what? I couldn't wait a week; the plot bunnies are still scampering (mimicking the ones all around my campus) so I decided to update again since I had more time during its Labor Day weekend. You don't mind, right?

* * *

From: RavenxX  
Q: (/) So cute! Allen! Gosh! *blush*  
Haha. But WHY CAS? why do you have to go..? (T_T) i thought she wil stick with Allen, who cares about tyki... hey, author-san, when do you plan to return Cas? Cuz I was hoping to see how the part will unfold (with Cas there) when tyki nearly kills Allen! Will she come back by then? I was really excited for that, you know...  
Anyways, to be honest i like it how you answer every review in your chapters! I also Loved this up the great work. Also update at your earliest convenience. I am always waiting .  
P.S  
GOOD LUCK with college! ()

A: Yes, Allen is an adorable little cinnamon roll, isn't he? I know! It's sad that Cas is going off with Kanda, but I PROMISE it will only be for literally two chapters. Of course Cas is going to be there for the Fallen Arc and 'Delete'! It's as crucial to her development as it is important to the canon plot. She will be joining up with Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, and Krory to go search for Cross in Asia, so don't worry.  
As for answering the reviews at the beginning of each chapter, I can't take the credit for that. One of the authors I follow, SilentSaiyan44, was who gave me the idea. When they responded to my reviews directly in updates, I found it to be a very personal way to connect with readers, so I thought it would be something I'd starting adopting.  
Thanks for the luck for college!

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I feel like crying for Allen and his missed chance... and why does Mother assume Cas has an ice heart? questions that need answers! so... Cas is gonna meet Daisya or Noize? I think she'd get along well with either one of them tbh. looking forward to the next installment! I'm staying with this story through the long hall...  
A: Aw! Sorry! I know it's frustrating.  
Okay, lemme break this down for you without revealing any 'spoilers' as to why Mother warns Allen about Cas's 'ice heart'. We're all already well enough aware that Cas has problems forming and processing emotions as a consequence of an Innocence heart; Mother is aware of this through her relationship with Cas's grandmother. If you recall from the first two chapters, Cas was written kind of 'flat' for lack of a better word at least in comparison to how she is now. This was intentional; prior to meeting Allen and becoming an Exorcist, Cas was _dangerously_ apathetic, to the point that Moor even remarked she was 'cold as ice' at the end of chapter one. Cas herself has even stated that she fell into a 'dark place' after losing Emma; her tears dried up and she had trouble feeling anything at all. Mother sees the potential for Cas to go down this road again; the threat is always there for Cas to revert back to her 'old self' and she was trying to remind Allen of that.  
Yes! Cas is going to meet the rest of Tiedol's crew, which I'm quite excited for:) I'm so happy you're enjoying this story so much, and I hope you're pleased with future updates.

From: Enny  
Q: Your writing is clear and full of personality, which in turn brings out Cas's character. I rather like the way she is emotionally distant and calm, but still hints at an honest young woman, especially during the apple devouring scene and the way she subtly reached out to Moor. I really cannot wait to see how her meeting with Allen goes (absolutely love the boy) and whether or not they will become havens for one another. Time to read on! Good first impression.

A: Thanks so much for starting my story! I hope you enjoy future chapters, and thanks so much for the kind words you had to say about Cas and the first chapter. I appreciate the compliments:)

From: Waru Waru  
Q: *SCREAMS IN DEMONIC*  
MY FEELS. WHY.  
Here I am, getting all happy and shit but then, BOOM, COCKBLOCKED BY FUCKING KOMUI.  
AHDBASHFDJADUAWSDKVDSHUJASIKFJKPDWDBSDHUAHJWKDDH(UAISDKUHJ  
*cries*  
My, that's a lot of frustration I just showcased, huh? Well, it's real. Fuckmejadbajdmkswd  
Still love this story though. It's official, I have a fictional crush on Cas... *cries again*  
I'm honestly not looking forward to meetings with Tyki... The guy has left me with a fervent fear of butterflies and I think this fic will only make it worse T.T Oh well.

A: Okay, I apologize for instigating demonic levels of feels frustration, but this review was fucking hilarious. My roommate probably thinks I've lost my mind because I've been lying on my bed Joker laughing about this for like ten minutes.  
Anyways, I'm glad you still like the story despite its frustrations and how much you enjoy Cas.  
Yes, I can see how Tyki would make someone afraid of butterflies. Personally, I've found he's rekindled my fascination for their aesthetic. I find there to be such a chilling beauty in the Tease, and I'm super excited I'm going to get to cover myself in them for a fem!Tyki cosplay I'm planning for later this year.  
Anyways, hang in there, and I hope you enjoy future installments.

From: KujoKuroi  
Q: Oh my goodness, I'm not sure how I feel about her running into dark-tykki. Also poor Allen, he almost gets to tell her and then bam! Interruption. And while I can see where Mother is coming from from an outside perspective, she doesn't really know Cas and I'm kind of annoyed at her for trying to steer Allen away from her. Allen was so cute in this chapter though! Thank you for the chapter!

A: Yes, it wasn't really all that cool of her to do that, but perhaps Mother knows something that even Cas doesn't…? Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed, and you're welcome for the chapter :D

* * *

Chapter 28: The Village Where The Witch Lives

* * *

"Where the fucking hell did I put those stupid socks-Ow! Son of a bitch!" I quickly scramble out from under my bed which I'd just banged my head on the underside of while searching for an elusive pair of hosiery.

Grumbling curses in both German and English, I sit up and stare around my room, which has been ransacked during my hunt; socks are scattered across the floor in every shade except the color I'm looking for.

I pick the one nearest to me and stare at it dejectedly before hurling it across the room in a fit of frustration.  
"I am not wearing navy blue socks with a black and white suit!"  
I might sound fickle, but I'd just finished making this suit a few weeks ago, and this is the first time I'd be wearing it out, so I want it to be perfect. The ensemble consists of a black and white vertically striped suit with a black vest, white cravat, and sleek black gloves.  
"Blue and black clash horribly on a suit," I continue, throwing my hands up in dismay.

A knock on the door ends my tirade.  
"Cas, are you in there?"

"No!" I call back.

"Stop being difficult." The door opens after a second, and the mousy Science Division Employee Johnny sidles into the room, a laundry basket under one arm. "I figured I'd give these to you before you left for your next assignment."

He reaches into the basket and tosses me a bundle of black socks. I catch them in both hands and stare down at them, still somewhat soured.

"No words of thanks?" Johnny asks, smiling slightly in an obvious attempt to cheer me up.

I glance up at him. "Huh? Oh, thanks, Johnny."

"Are you alright?" the young Science Division member inquires as I slip on the socks and clamber to my feet. "You've seemed a little off since you've come back from Liverpool."

I shrug. "Well, that's your observation not mine. I don't feel any different."

"That's a lie, and you know it."

I glower at him. He recoils somewhat, which instantly makes me feel guilty.

I sigh heavily. "I'm sorry. It's just…Well, Allen."

Johnny quirks an eyebrow behind the lens of his big round glasses. "What about him?"

I fold my arms, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "I feel bad. He was trying to talk to me about something, but then I got called back to Headquarters, so he didn't get the chance."

"Do you know what about?"

I shrug again. "Our last assignment got…difficult, and it brought up a lot of painful memories for him. I felt those memories; you know, through my empathy. I think he was just trying to sort all that out. I feel bad sometimes; I can't help it, but I feel like I'm being invasive."

Johnny smiles, striding forward a few steps as he claps a hand on my shoulder.  
"I'm sure Allen understands, and I bet he's going to miss you too."

"That's not-" I start, but Johnny doesn't heed me as he turns and leaves the room. "Better go drag Kanda out of bed!" he calls after me, "The gondola's set to launch in less than half an hour."

I grimace at the idea. I've been so busy trying to find matching socks, I haven't been able to have breakfast yet, and now I'm short on time.

As I throw together the last of my packing items into my periwinkle suitcase, I debate which should take priority: Kanda or food?

Food.

I can't deal with Kanda until I've been properly caffeinated.

* * *

As I'm walking along the hall of the sleeping corridors on my way back from the dining room, fixing the clasps of my Exorcist cloak as I go, I suddenly spy something that makes me stop dead in surprise.

A familiar figure is hurriedly scampering about the balcony corridors, looking as worried and anxious as a startled mouse.

I'm rushing over to her a split second later, a grin steadily widening on my face.  
"Miranda!"

The addressed woman of the Rewinding Town whirls around and screeches in shock, falling backwards on her ass in the middle of the hall.

I laugh in spite of myself, drawing up short in front of her.  
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," I smile warmly as I extend a hand towards her.

She gapes up at me. "Cas?"

Eventually, the woman takes my hand, allowing me to pull her to her feet. I look her up and down, still smiling broadly. She looks great; her hair is down from its tight twist, cascading around her shoulders in soft, silky layers; her cheeks are not as sunken, her skin not as pale, and her dark eyes seem a little brighter.

I clasp her hands in mine. "It's good to see you. When did you get here?"

"I," Miranda stammers, dropping her eyes, "Just two days ago."

"Well, welcome aboard," I give her hands a firm squeeze before releasing them. She cowers back slightly.

I tilt my head to the side, "Is something wrong?"

Miranda vigorously nods her head, wringing her hands frantically. "I can't find my room!" she finally wails, "I'm lost, and I don't know where to go, and I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, hey, easy. Calm down," I urge, holding up my hands. She sniffs loudly but falls silent. I smile reassuringly as I place an arm around her shoulders and steer her towards the doors lining the open hallway. "Look, it's quite simple. The rooms are all alphabetized in accordance with last name. For instance, Allen's and mine are right down the hall from each other because he's Walker and I'm Williams. As for you, you're last name's Lotto, right?"

Miranda nods weakly. "Yes."

"Then you're right on track," I exclaim, gesturing ahead of us. "This is the K/L section, so you're room is right down that way. Alright?"

Miranda looks so relieved I think for a second she might collapse.

"Oh thank you, Cas. Thank you!" she exclaims, stepping out from under me and hurrying off towards the door I'd indicated.

"No problem!" I call after her, "And I'm glad you're here!"

I smile wistfully in her wake. I'm so happy for Miranda; I haven't seen her in months, and I'm glad she finally made it here.

Now then, I turn towards the line of doors, trailing my finger ahead of me as I try to remember how the Ks were lined up.  
Ah, here it is.

I approach the door to Kanda's room. Was he still asleep? Johnny had said he was, but that was before breakfast.  
I turn the handle and find the door's unlocked.

Shrugging, I pull it ajar and step inside.

The room beyond is surprisingly dark, catching me momentarily off guard. The window and all available light sources have been shrouded in yards of violet material, giving the shadows a distinct purple hue. The smell of incense is ripe in the air; I crinkle my nose as I cross the threshold.  
The room is neat, and rather sparse, but I didn't exactly expect Kanda to be much in the area of interior decorating.

Said Exorcist I soon spy is lying under the covers of his bed in the corner across the room. He's resting on his stomach with one arm draped over the edge of the mattress. He's not snoring; he's not even moving. If I didn't know any better, I'd might have took him for dead. Kanda's hair is down from its usual ponytail; the deep midnight blue strands rippling out from around like the current of an evening waterfall.

He really is beautiful.

Slowly, I approach his bed, gingerly reaching out my hand to just brush the barest amount against the silky folds of Kanda's long hair.

Something gleams in the corner of my eye, and I quickly withdraw my hand, diverting my gaze to something resting in the corner. Beside the covered window there is a low, three-legged table, and resting on top of said table, is a single large flower drifting in water within a glass jar.

Fascinated, I step away from the bed and move over to examine it more closely, bending down at the waist to peer through the glass.  
The flower is such a rich shade of blush pink, it's almost startling; it seems to drift in a singular halo of light.

Slowly, unsure as to why I felt the need to be so careful, I reach out, and my fingers have just brushed against the glass before I feel the chill of cold steel pressing to my throat.

I stiffen on reflex as I hear Kanda growl in my ear.  
"What are you doing in here?"

I laugh slightly, trying to keep things amiable.  
"Jesus, you're a light sleeper."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Remove your very sharp sword from my neck, and I might be so inclined," I reply simply, carefully sidestepping out of Mugen's reach.

I turn around to face him as Kanda withdraws his sword, still scowling as he slides it back into its sheath.

I shake my head, still chuckling.  
"Did you forget that we're going on an assignment together?" I ask, thumping him in his bare chest as I brush past him towards the door, "Johnny told me to come wake you up. The gondola's leaving in less than ten minutes, so you better get your ass moving, sleepyhead."

"I can take care of myself; I don't need you to babysit me," Kanda grumbles.

I pause, resting my hand on the doorframe. "Alright then. Well, I'll see you downstairs, Boy Toy." My eyes then flicker back over to the flower still emitting a faint glow even from across the room. "By the way, I like you're flower."

Kanda growls in response, so I quickly leave before he decides to hurl Mugen at me like a javelin.

* * *

Several hours later, Kanda and I get off the train in a small village just a few miles south of the Schwarzwald.

I hurry after Kanda as he weaves through the crowd ahead of me, trying to keep up with his long strides. He pays me no heed as he intently peruses a piece of paper.

"Boy-Oof!" I start, but am cut off as he stops so suddenly, I smack into him.

He glares at me over his shoulder. "Watch where you're going."

"What are you doing?" I ask, rubbing my nose as I step to his side to glance at the paper over his shoulder.

"A letter sent by the Exorcist we're picking up north of here," he explains, "His name's Daisya Barry; according to him, he has information about where in Spain the General is." He frowns in frustration down at the letter, "I only wish he'd drawn me a map I could actually read."

"Here. Lemme see," I take the paper from him, and squint at it intently. He's right; it's barely legible. "I think we need to head out of this city, Mitterwald, I think, and continue on to Elfheim which is two towns over from the village of Dankern."

I pause when I see Kanda's staring at me.  
"What?"

"What's with the heavily accented pronunciation?"

"Huh?" I blink, "Oh. I was born in this country, or didn't you know that?"

Kanda doesn't respond as he takes the paper from me and continues on. "Dankern, you said?"

"Yeah," I reply, running to catch up, "It's just beyond those woods there." I point up ahead to the thick wall of deep green pines that are lining the edge of the horizon like a fortress wall. "That's a part of the Schwarzwald or the Black Forest mountain range. According to legend, its where all the Grimm's fairy tales take place. Hey! Are you listening to me?"

We eventually make it to the edge of Mitterwald and continue along the path as it changes from stone to dirt along a grassy plain laden with wild flowers. The air is clear and sweet smelling, the sun a bright representation of the late April weather. It's a stark contrast to the thick shadows pouring out from the edge of the forest as we draw closer to it; they're so heavy, they're almost tangible.

Kanda pauses at the edge of the tree line, bending down to examine a pair of low, wooden dilapidated road signs just off the path.

It soon becomes clear, as I approach, that the signs aren't going to be any help; the one reading Dankern is pointing to the right where there's nothing but an open field, and the one pointing to Mitterwald is pointing at the ground.

"Stopping for directions," I muse, crossing my arms as Kanda surveys the signs, trying to make sense of them, "Are you sure you're a man?"

"Not thinking of going to Danekern are you?" a voice pipes up before Kanda can respond.

I jump and spin around to see an extremely tiny old lady in a purple dress is standing directly behind me, grinning up at me with a wide, wrinkled face. "If so, I wouldn't rely on these signs to find your way," she continues, walking past me with her hands clasped behind her bent back. "I moved them to keep people away from that place." She winks at Kanda, who looks baffled.

He straightens up, "Why would you do that?"

The woman looks at him slyly. "You must have heard all the horrible rumors."

I shake my head, "No. Actually, we're not from around her."

I mean, Kanda's Asian, and I've got an English accent; how could she not already make that assumption?

"Well, people have been whispering for ages now about an evil witch living in the town of Dankern," the woman whispers, dropping her voice as though believing we might be overheard, "I'm not one to gossip, but the story says that she survives by eating the travelers she lures into her home."

"Our destination is just beyond Dankern," Kanda replies calmly despite the woman's dramatic proclamation, "Now, which way is it?"

The woman clicks her tongue. "You're the stubborn type, aren't you? You really ought to dissuade your boyfriend from going any further, girly," she adds to me."

"Ah, he's not my-"

"Would you just answer the damn question!"

The old woman sighs. "At least I tried. If you follow the path through the forest, you'll find Dankern village on the other side."

"Thanks for your help, old woman," Kanda says flatly before brushing past her and continuing on, me close behind him.

"I'd turn back if I were you!" the woman shouts in our wake, "The locals don't call it the 'Forest of No Return' for nothing, you know!"

Kanda and I just keep walking. As if I'd be deterred by the superstitious whisperings of a German town in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm telling you! Turn back!" the woman's voice can still be heard despite us being further away, "You'll go missing just like those three poor fellows dressed all in white did the other day! I know you can hear me! You're just not paying attention!"

I tap Kanda's shoulder. "Men dressed in white?"

"She means Finders."

"I know that! Do you think that means the rumors are really caused by an Akuma?"

"Isn't it always?"

"I suppose you have a point."

As we talk, the trees close in around us, casting long dark shadows across our paths. Any sunlight that manages to slip through the cracks of the pines is few and far between, casting tiny white pools that gleam across the black dirt of the beaten path.

"You know for a place that supposedly doesn't get a lot of traffic, there's a surprisingly good path here," I remark after a moment.

Kanda doesn't respond.

It is not easy to hold a conversation with this guy.

A crow dismounts from a tree branch close to my head in a shower of feathers and flapping wings. I jump in spite of myself.

Beside me, Kanda suddenly freezes.

There's a cry, and I turn around just in time to see a large man holding an axe over his head bearing down upon us. His cry is cut short as Kanda knocks him in the stomach with the butt of his sword.

The man gives a gasp as the wind is ripped from him, staggering forward as his body contorts and twists; seconds later, it turns deep grey and bulges like a mass of tumors. The man turns back around with a roar, already partially transformed into an Akuma.

Kanda jumps back, brandishing Mugen as the creature rips fully free of its skin.

"Hang on! I've got it!" I call as Blood erupts from under my sleeves and coils layer after layer around the Akuma. It cries out at its immobility only for it to erupt into shrieks as I crush it to dust between the tendrils of Blood.

"So it was an Akuma after all," Kanda remarks as the smoke clears.

A twig snaps just off the path. We both jerk our heads towards it, Kanda grasping his sword while my Blood tentacles snap around my body.

Seconds later, a figure steps out of the bushes.

"Who are you?" Kanda demands, thrusting his sword in the person's face.

The man jumps back with a girlish squeal, ill-befitting of his large, broad build. He's got a pale face with an arching forehead half consumed by a tuft of thick brown hair while the rest of his head is shaved. He has small black eyes, is wearing a pair of large silver hoop earrings, and is dressed in a distinctive beige overcoat.

"D-Don't kill me!" the man shrieks, scrambling behind a tree where he cowers trembling.

I place a hand on Kanda's Mugen, slowly lowering the blade.  
"At ease, don't you see the uniform?" I whisper to him before I turn back to the simpering man, whom I can only see part of from behind the trunk, "There's no need to be afraid. Are you a Finder by chance?"

"Yeah, I am," the man replies cautiously, slowly peeking out from behind the tree, "But people just call Goz."

I smirk slightly, "Nice to meet you, Goz." I hold out a gloved hand to him. After a minute, he steps back into view and shakes it. "My name's Cassandra Williams. You can call me Cas."

"Cas!" Goz's eyes widen, "I've heard of you! You're an Exorcist."

"I am indeed."

Kanda, meanwhile, has turned from us and picked up his luggage.  
"You dropped your suitcase," he calls to me over my shoulder before he keeps walking down the path.

I quickly stoop to pick up my periwinkle case before turning back to Goz, giving him an apologetic smile.  
"Don't mind Kanda. It's nothing personal."

Goz's eyes go even wider. "Kanda!" he then barrels past me, nearly knocking me off my feet as he scampers to get in front of Kanda. He smiles brightly, clasping his hands, "It's an honor, sir. I only joined the order a few months ago, but I'm a huge fan of your work."

"Seems like you've got an admirer," I chuckle, nudging Kanda with my elbow.

"I couldn't tell," he grumbles sarcastically.

Goz laughs nervously.

Kanda disregards him and keeps walking.

I hurry after him; Goz scampering at my heels.

"The thing is, I'm really happy the two of you are here. Ever since that Akuma killed my two comrades earlier, I figured it was only a matter of time before it got me too. But it's okay now! Since the Black Order sent you guys to help me, everything's going to be fine."

Kanda glances at Goz over his shoulder.  
"Help you?"

"Yeah!" Goz nods enthusiastically, "They sent Exorcists to check on my team; the Black Order had sent us to investigate the village up ahead, and when they lost contact with our team, they became so worried the Order dispatched Exorcists to see what was wrong. That's why you came…Right?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kanda replies simply before he keeps walking.

Goz falters, "What…? But wait!"

He starts forward, but I hold up a hand to stop him, smiling reassuringly.  
"Just go back to Mitterwald and wait. I'm sure the Order will send an Exorcist to check on you soon."

"B-But," Goz stammers, flustered, " _You're_ here! Hey, wait!"

He scrambles after Kanda and me as we keep moving along the forest path.

The former's eyes flicker over his shoulder as he quickens his pace, forcing me to do so as well.

Goz remains a few paces back, but also appears to increase his steps.

Kanda suddenly stops.

"What is it?" I hiss, startled.

He doesn't respond, just takes off running.

"Wait! Hey!" Goz yells from behind me as I'm forced to sprint after him.

Kanda moves through the forest with the speed and silence of a ninja, his long legs keeping him well ahead of me.

I grit my teeth as I struggle to keep up. We tear through the forest at breakneck speed, moving like something large and dangerous is just on our heels.

Speaking of which, I glance to my left just as a beige blur flits into view. My mouth drops in spite of myself as I see Goz charge past me, thundering along the path and quickly overtaking me.

I look on to see him managing to match Kanda, coming up to be neck and neck with my fellow Exorcist. This only causes the former to quicken his pace.

I nearly lose them both amongst the trees as the distance widens. I stumble on the uneven ground, the trees rising up all around me. Staggering, feet skidding on the ground as I attempt to regain my footing, I skid to halt just as the tree line breaks and I see Kanda standing at the edge of a clearing, Goz beside him.

"Okay!" I gasp, bending at the waist and placing my hands on my knees, chest heaving. "I'm done playing tag for today. Thank you."

Kanda's eyes flit to Goz. "Not bad. How did you get so fast?"

The Finder laughs sheepishly. "Well, I played a little football in school. If I wasn't this fast, I'd never have been able to get away from that Akuma."

"Uh, speaking of which," I jerk back, my clenched fist instantly coating in Blood. Kanda sees what I mean a second later as several men step out from behind the cover of the trees, their faces shadowed by the overhanging branches.

The men all lumber towards us, grinning wickedly as they each brandish a sleek metal axe.

Goz looks about him warily.  
"Hi. You guys wouldn't happen to know how to get to Dankern village, would you?"

The largest of the group chuckles menacingly, slapping the blade of his axe against his palm.

Goz recoils, ducking behind Kanda and me. "We don't want any trouble!"

"Trouble is exactly what they want," Kanda proclaims.

As he speaks, cracks begin to appear along the faces of the men; their skin slowly withers and greys, splitting, straining as the Akuma beneath begins to pull at the skin, projectiles and limbs pushing through the tender flesh.

I recoil slightly at the sight; Kanda grasps Mugen as the Blood around my hands lengthens into claws.

"Innocence, activate," Kanda whispers, running his finger along the side of his blade, encasing it in a brilliant blue light.

One of the twisted-faced Akuma lunges forward, brandishing its axe. Kanda swings his sword and the other weapon goes flying through the air to embed in a tree trunk several feet away where it rests, quivering.

The Akuma gives a howl of rage as it rips free of its human flesh entirely just as another behind us does the same. Kanda turns and slices Mugen through the latter while I dig my claws through the first attacker, both of them crumbling before us.

The explosions rip through the air; Goz screams and ducks behind a tree, covering his head with his arms.

Another Akuma sprints between us, shooting poisonous purple bullets from its long harried snout. Kanda and I leap apart, both of us skirting the perimeter as the glowing projectiles collide with the patches of ground our feet had occupied moments before.

I spy an Akuma swoop out from behind a tree directly at Kanda's back. He notices it too, but keeps running.

A bullet skims past my shoulder as I change direction, chasing the Akuma down. Kanda keeps running, never slowing as he nears a tree. In one fluid motion, he steps off the edge of the tree at an angel and flips lightly over the Akuma's head.

The creature reels, unable to stop as I come up behind it and slice my claws through its stomach, the shrapnel erupting around the tree trunk.

Kanda drops down behind me, slicing through another Akuma. He straightens up, gripping his Anti-Akuma weapon tightly as the black Akuma blood trickles down the side of his face.

"Help! Help me!" We both turn in time to see the last Akuma, still only partially transformed, is holding the gleaming blade of his axe against Goz's throat.

The Finder smiles sheepishly, visibly trembling.

"Stay right where you are," the Akuma growls.

"G-Get this monster off me!" Goz wails, tears pooling in his eyes.

The Akuma chuckles. "Don't move or your friend dies."

Kanda slowly lower his blade; I take the barest step to my left, attempting to move out of the creature's line of sight.

"I said don't move!" the Akuma spies me, pressing his blade further into Goz's white throat. He shrieks.

"Go ahead and kill him then," Kanda calls to him.

Both Akuma and Finder regard him with equal looks of shock.

"I said go ahead and kill him!" Kanda repeats as he rushes forward. I catch him in his movements and dive forward as well, slightly from the side.

The Akuma leaps back as Kanda charges him, shoving Goz between the two of them. The bigger man staggers awkwardly, stumbling forward before falling flat on his face directly on top of Kanda, crushing him underfoot.

I gasp as a gleam of silver flashes in front of my eyes, ducking just in time as the Akuma's axe sails over my head and digs itself deeply into the base of the tree directly behind me. I jerk, falling to my knees under the weight of the sudden movement.

Once I am able to process what just happened, I see, to my dismay, that the Akuma has vanished, leaving Kanda and Goz both rolling around on the ground together trying to get their bearings.

I try to stand up, but feel a tug at my scalp and the feeling of something inhibiting me. I glance up as a loose strand of scarlet hair falls in front of my face. I can barely see that several more pieces of my hair are now trapped between the bark of the tree and the blade of the axe.

I tug, but nothing gives, only seeing to potentially rip my hair out.

"Moron! Get off me!" Kanda finally manages to throw Goz off him as he jumps to his feet, steely eyes scanning the clearing. He clenches his jaw, enraged. "He got away."

"Hey, Boy Toy!" I call, somewhat weakly as I gesture above my head, "A little help?"

My fellow Exorcist gives little more than a quick glance towards me and my predicament.

Goz is more helpful.

"I'm sorry," he whimpers as he goes over to heave the axe out of the tree, thereby freeing me. "It was all my fault. Please forgive me."

I wave off his apology as I hurriedly yank my hair back into a ponytail to prevent this from happening again. "If he makes it to Dankern, we'll probably never see him again," I say to Kanda.

He nods in agreement, the black blood still sticking to his cheeks and hems of his coat (I'm probably covered in it too). "Then let's get moving."

He breaks into a run, taking off through the remainder of the trees, Goz right behind him.

I sigh, tugging the remainder of my hair through its tie before hurriedly following.  
"Great. More running."

* * *

The sun is just barely visible over the tips of the low buildings of Dankern village when we arrive; the sky is blushing, and the shadows are long across the ground. The houses all look black and foreboding in the half light of dusk, and its eerily quiet, almost like a ghost town.

Somewhere in the distance, a crow calls forlornly.

"So, this is Dankern village," Goz whispers nervously, if only to stave off the silence. "Well, we haven't seen any more Akuma."

"Yet," I remark.

Goz glances about him, looking more anxious by the minute as we continue along the empty street. "If there are any people around, they're sure keeping quiet."

Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse a silhouette in a passing shop window. As my eyes meet theirs, the figure quickly tugs the curtains closed.

A door slams shut further up the street.

Goz jumps. "I think I know why no one's around," he adds, "You're both covered in blood; it doesn't exactly give off a warm impression."

"It doesn't make any difference," Kanda replies dryly.

"If we want people to talk to us it does!" Goz cries.

Kanda glares at him. I tap his shoulder. "Humor him?" I offer.

Kanda growls, but relents.

We continue on through the village; it's so small, we reach its edge in less than half an hour. There are more woods on the other side; tall, thick trees encircling the entire perimeter of Dankern like the walls of a fortress.

We eventually come across a lily pond nestled in a thicket beside a low slope covered in ivy and shrubs. There's plenty of shade from the trees, and the pond water looks lavender from the sunset.

I have Kanda hand me his coat and then set about washing the blood out of both our Exorcist garments; I've become quite good at getting stains out of clothing at this point.

Kanda kneels down beside me after a moment as I vigorously scrub away, cupping water into his hands and splashing it on his face.

"There," I say after a pause, "Here you go, Eye Candy." I smirk as I hold out the now clean coat. Kanda turns and allows me to drape it over his shoulders.

Goz chuckles as he watches us. "Gee, there was so much blood. No wonder the townspeople weren't eager to talk to us. This investigation is off to a rocky start."

"I already told you, we're not here to investigate," Kanda asserts as he pulls his arms through the sleeves of his coat.

Goz's face falls. "But why?!"

"Try to understand that we have a much more pressing assignment at the moment," I attempt to explain, "Once we find that Akuma, we're going to need to move on. What are you doing, Boy Toy?"

Kanda, who has wandered a few feet away, has stopped in front of the hill beside the lily pond. It's almost entirely overgrown with trees and plants that jut out from all sides in a tangled net like messy hair. However, in the center of the hill's face, is what appears to be a low red door half-sunken into the dirt amidst all the vegetation.

"Huh," I fumble with the buttons of my Exorcist cloak as I move to stand beside him, peering curiously at the strange little house. I smirk after a moment, bumping Kanda in the elbow. "Go knock on the door. Maybe some Hobbits are home."

He rolls his eyes.

"Is it just me or is that cabin kinda creepy?" Goz inquires, coming up behind us.

I rub the sides of my arms, suddenly feeling kind of cold.

A wind sweeps through the tiny clearing, making the lily pond tremble. Kanda turns his head, and I follow his gaze to see, to my surprise, a girl standing at the edge of the pond.

My eyes widen. _When did she get here?_

The girl is young, about our age. She has clean, simple features that are not at all unattractive. Her hair is deep brown and her eyes a dark shade of grey, almost black. She stands at the edge of the pond, the wind disturbing the folds of her orange dress as she tightly grips the edges of a green shawl she had wrapped around her head.

She doesn't notice us; she seems to be staring at nothing.

"Uh, hello!" Goz cautiously calls out. The girl jumps and turns towards us, startled. "Nice day, isn't it?" he continues before pointing to the cabin, "Do you happen to know who lives in this shed?"

"No one," the girl replies quietly, "No one has lived there for a very long time."

"I can see why," Goz's enthusiasm is ill-befitting of the atmosphere, "It isn't the most inviting looking place I've ever seen. If I didn't know any better, I'd say a witch lived there."

"Witches aren't real," the girl replies matter of factly as she walks over to us, "There's no such thing."

Kanda steps forward, "Tell me. Have you noticed any suspicious people around town recently?"

The girl looks to him in surprise, "Suspicious people?"

"Yes. You see, we were following someone, and we think they might have been hiding out in this town. Perhaps you might be able to help us," I smile, taking the girls hand as I bend down to kiss it.

She retracts her arm, regarding me not necessarily with contempt but rather with no expression at all.  
"I'm sorry. I haven't seen who you're looking for."

I give the girl a confused look, but she ignores me, her eyes trailing back towards the lily pond. I follow her gaze and finally see what she was focusing so intently on. In the center of the pond, there is a scattered assortment of lily pads and amidst the wide, green leaves, are a few blush pink blooms resting just above the water. The flowers are only partially opened, glinting in the pale sunset light; they look so small and fragile, like a visible kiss.

My eyes widen when I recognize it to be the same kind of flower I'd found in Kanda's room.  
I glance towards him; his expression is unreadable.  
"You have lotus flowers here," he whispers.

What is this…? There's an emotion coming from Kanda that I've never experienced before. It's something so deep and dark and complex, like a hedge maze, twisting, winding into shadows.

"I've lived in this town my whole life, and I've been coming to this pond as long as I can remember," the girl's words jerk me from my thoughts as she slowly walks back over to the edge of the pond. Kanda follows her.

Bemused, I trail after them.

"And I've never seen them blooming until today," the girl concludes as we all stare down at the tiny pink flowers.

"It could be this is the first time they've blossomed in your lifetime," Kanda muses, "The seeds of a lotus flower can sleep in the soil for a thousand years, and then one day, they bloom again."

The girl looks towards him; her grey eyes wide in surprise. "They bloom every thousand years? The seeds can really stay asleep for such a long time?"

"Yes."

The girl drops her eyes. "I wonder what it's like for them to be awake, or if they'll ever want to bloom again. I feel sorry for them; they take so long to bloom, and then they die so quickly."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Kanda asserts, "The lotus will blossom long after you and I are gone."

The girl's lips pull up into a smile. "Are you sure?"

"Believe me."

The girl laughs softly. "I wish I could be there to see it."

Kanda catches me looking at him. I don't know what my face looks like, but he obviously doesn't like it.  
"What?" he snaps.

"Nothing. It's just you know a lot about lotus flowers, Eye Candy. Seems kind of arbitrary. Were you a botanist or something?"

Kanda snorts, "They're only flowers."

I don't buy that for an instant. I don't even need to be an empath to see the layers here.  
After all, the lotus flowers in the lily pond are the same as the one in Kanda's room.

* * *

The girl with the green shawl, who we eventually learn is named Sofia, invites Kanda, Goz, and me to her father's inn to spend the night. It's dark when we get to the small building on the edge of town.  
It's cramped but homey, and Sofia's father, who's old and lame with a tired smile, serves us potato soup with sausages, cheese, and hot rolls.

"Here you go," Sofia sets down the steaming bowls of soup. "It's not much, but I hope you enjoy."

"It's perfect!" Goz exclaims, "You're giving us a place to stay and a hot meal too. I don't know how to thank you."

"I'm starving," I remark as I snatch a roll from the basket and dig in with relish. Goz follows suit while Kanda just sort of awkwardly stirs his spoon through the thick broth.

I guess he misses his soba noodles.

Sofia's father watches us voraciously devour the food with a proud smile.  
"Sofia takes a great deal of pride in her cooking, so I'm glad you enjoy it."

"Yeah, it's delicious," Goz exclaims.

I give a thumbs up in agreement, unable to answer with words as my mouth's too full. I swallow the last spoonful before holding my plate out to Sofia as she passes by. "More please."

She laughs. "My, you have quite the appetite."

"You should be glad the beansprout isn't here too," Kanda grumbles into his food, "The pair of them would eat you out of house and home." His words end in a hiss as I'd kicked him under the table, catching him hard in the shin.

He glowers at me, but I ignore him as I fork more sausages onto my already heaping plate.

Goz watches our exchange with bemusement, but eventually shrugs it off and turns back to Sofia and her father.  
"Um, I hope I'm not being rude, but is it just the two of you running this inn? Aren't there any other family members?"

Sofia's father hangs his head. "My wife passed away about ten years ago."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Goz's voice turns momentarily somber before he smiles again, "But it does explain why Sofia's such a good cook for her age."

She returns his smile. "I'm glad you liked it."

I catch her eye and wink at her. "Superb."

Sofia then turns to Kanda. "Do you mind if I ask what brought you three to a secluded little village like this?"

"To tell you the truth, we're here to investigate," Goz explains, "Now, I don't to frighten you, but rumor has it that everyone that goes into this forest, never comes out again."

Sofia's eyes widen. "Do you think it's true?"

I shrug as I cut another round of sausages. "Can't say for sure, but it seems to have the villagers in the next town over scared stiff," I pause to shove a forkful of meat into my mouth. "So you haven't noticed anyone about lately that wasn't a villager?" I ask as I chew, "Besides us, of course."

Sofia shakes her head. "No. You three are the first newcomers to our town in a long while, but if there really are rumors about these woods, then I suppose it's understandable." She shakes her head, "I'm sorry, I'm not that reliable of a source; I work in Mitterwald, so I don't notice much in this town since I'm always away all day. I only just returned to Dankern quite recently when my boss gave me a short vacation."

"So then you must have gone through the forest to get here," Goz exclaims, "How long ago was that?"

"Probably about a week and a half ago."

"Hmm, interesting," I muse.

That forest seems to be crawling with Akuma. We were practically up to our eyeballs in them on our way here. How was Sofia able to get to and from her hometown completely unharmed?

"Is something wrong?" the girl jerks me from my thoughts.

"It's nothing," I quickly assert.

Goz smiles reassuringly. "I'm just happy we have a place to stay; to tell you the truth, I got a little nervous when I heard there might be a witch living in this village."

CRASH!

I jump and glance towards Sofia's father. He looks stricken, his hand shaking as they hover over the shattered remains of his plate that has fallen to the ground. His eyes are wide with fright.  
"I-I apologize," he stammers.

"Are you alright, Father?" Sofia asks, rushing to his side.

"Yes, I'm fine," the older man replies, slightly breathless as he slowly gets to his feet, gripping his cane so tightly, his knuckles go white. "My trick knee is acting up. If you don't mind, I'm going to bed."

With that, he turns and leaves the room through the door that leads to the upstairs.

"You'll have to excuse my father," Sofia says as she straightens up, grasping the broken plate shards in his hands, "He's almost as superstitious as everyone else in this town. I should have told you before, but the people of this village have given a name to the cabin you asked me about earlier: it's the Witch's Cabin, and everyone avoids it."

"Except you," Kanda observes, "It doesn't seem to bother you at all."

Sofia shrugs. "I don't really believe in witches, but if I knew one lived there, I'd be terrified."

"So there _isn't_ a witch?" Goz still didn't sound entirely convinced.

"No. Actually, up until recently, there was actually a very sweet and lonely old woman who lived in that cabin, but the town's people called her a witch and drove her away. If only they had taken the time to get to know her, this whole thing could have been avoided-."

She's cut off as I slurp the remainder of my soup rather loudly.

I grin sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Are you quite finished?" Kanda snaps.

"Yes, actually," I reply simply, setting down my now empty bowl.

"It's nothing fancy, but I hoped you saved room for dessert," Sofia goes over to the bar and pulls out a small cloth bag tied with a string. "Here." She pulls the string and drops it into my open palms. It unfolds to show a large pile of brightly colored sugar beans.

"Thanks," I smile before passing the bag to Goz. I don't really like jelly beans that much.

"Oh thank you!" the Finder exclaims, "Jelly beans are my favorite; I can't remember the last time I had them."

"Well, it's getting late," Sofia declares, returning to the bar and picking up the lantern, "I'll show you to your room."

She then leads us through the door her father had disappeared through a moment before. The wooden stairs to the second floor creak loudly with each step we take, mixing with the sounds of Goz enthusiastically munching on the jelly beans.

The hallway beyond is dark, lit only by Sofia's lantern. She pauses before the third door on the right hand side of the narrow corridor.  
"This is the guest bedroom. This is where you'll be staying. The bathroom is the fourth door on the left there, and I'll be in the room next door; so, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

I grimace. "There's only one room?"  
What inn only had one room?

"I'm sure it's perfect. Thank you!" Goz exclaims over my words.

Sofia nods before walking on ahead, her bobbing lantern disappearing into the shadowed hall.

We go into the room to find that it's as small and sparsely furnished as the rest of the inn, or the town for that matter.

There's a double bed leaning against the far wall beside the window under which there's a low a table. Across the room, there's a closet and a dresser.

"You guys can take the bed; I'll sleep on the floor," Goz declares, taking off his coat.

Kanda offers no outward response to this as he brushes past me and drops his suitcase down on the bed.

I sigh, tightly grasping my own. "I'm gonna go change in the bathroom." I call to no verbal response as I head across the hall.

Once in the bathroom, I shut the door and turn on the light. I set my suitcase down on the toilet and open the clasps, yanking out my pajamas.

I start peeling off the layers of my cloak and the suit underneath. I pull my hair loose from its ponytail to find that a few strands have been chopped shorter from the flying axe earlier.

I grimace, hoping it isn't too noticeable as I finish changing and then brush my teeth and vomit Blood into the sink, so that I wouldn't have to get up and do it later that night.

As I undergo my nighttime routine, I turn over the events of the day into my mind.

There are so many strange pieces here, scattered all about like the broken shards of that plate; however, unlike the plate, I can't see what they all fit together to make.

As I run the tap to wash all the lingering Blood out of the sink basin, I finally manage to draw at least the partial conclusion that perhaps the largest piece of this fragmented mystery is the Witch's Cabin.  
 _Well, that will be my first stop in the morning._

Turning off the sink, I glance back up at my reflection again, quickly tugging on the lower collar of my shirt in an attempt to hide the faint glow of my heart.

I wonder how Kanda would react if he saw that. Probably not well considering how he treated Allen once he found out he was cursed.

 _Allen…_

I feel a twinge in the pit of my stomach, and my hand absentmindedly goes up to brush the side of my neck where Allen had wrapped his arms to hug me tightly before I'd left him and Lenalee at Mother's to return to Headquarters.

I miss him. A lot. And it might be months before I see him again.

Attempting to stave off these uncomfortable feelings, I finally exit the bathroom and reenter our bedroom, now dressed in a faded T-shirt and a pair of boxer shorts.

Goz has found a set of spare blankets in the closet and made a makeshift bed for himself in the corner.

Kanda is sitting on the bed, pulling his hair from its ponytail. Mugen is resting against the mattress, glinting in the milky moonlight from the open window.

"Scoot over," I say to him as I approach the bed.

He's shirtless, and its distracting.

"Stay on your side of the bed," Kanda grumbles, relenting as he slides closer to the wall.

"Don't make it weird," I reply as I flop down on my side and turn from him, curling my knees into my chest. "Goz, close the window," I add to the Finder. "It's too bright in here."

A second later, the room is plunged into almost complete darkness.

I close my eyes, trying to quiet the thoughts that keep churning around and around inside my head like a violent whirlpool.

The events of the day and all those leading up to it continue to whirl around in my mind, and I can't seem to silence them.

Kanda shifts beside me. I wince.  
"Your feet are freezing."

"Then move."

I groan as I scoot a little further away.

This is going to be a long night.

* * *

I don't remember falling asleep, so it takes me a moment to realize I'm dreaming.

I'm standing on a floor of polished black glass; there's nothing but a void over my head.

I look up, perplexed. Shouldn't I be seeing stars?

A ripple unfolds around me, and its then that I realize that I'm not standing on glass but rather still water just as beautiful music fills the air.

I whirl around. Four yards away, in a pool of light, sits a figure on a wooden stool. The music floats up from their fingers as they rhythmically strum the cords of a lyre.

My eyes widen.

"Emma?"

When did she learn to play that instrument?

The music continues, soft and lilting through the empty air.

The figure looks towards me as the water ripples below us.

"Oh, not Emma. Sofia."

Sofia smiles as she strums her instrument, trailing her small hands along all the chords creating a chorus of sounds as she moves up the bars.

The water ripples beneath my feet; I gasp, staggering back as dozens of brilliant lotus flowers erupt above the surface, spreading their petals around me as though they're greeting me, greeting this silent, dark world they've bene born into.

They're beautiful, such a soft, sweet shade of blushing pink, but they make me sad in spite of their appeal.

The flowers spread their petals wider, searching, searching for a sun.

Sofia's song reaches its peak as the lotus open fully. I gasp as the darkness claims them, the petals fall away, one after another, sunset-colored tears.

Fleeting, fragile.

"No!" I scramble as the flowers wilt around me.

I look back at Sofia, but she just keeps playing.

"Stop it!"

"Cas…"

I whirl around to see Kanda standing a few feet from me.

He looks confused, maybe even a little afraid.

"Kan-" I start towards him, but my body jerks back. I glance down and am horrified to see that my feet have sunk into the water up to my ankles, water, no mud. Black mud.

I strain, pulling, attempting to yank my feet free, but the mud sucks them down, airless and trapped, swallowing my legs and then my waist.

I look back at Kanda, and reach out my hands.

He doesn't seem to see me, even though he's looking at me.

Sofia's lyre sounds again.

Kanda's whole body suddenly goes rigidly.

A scream dies in my throat as I see a large black blade plunged through his chest. His blood sprays everywhere, staining the mud red.

"KANDA!" I scream as I fight with all my might, furious and burning with adrenaline and need.

Kanda collapses into the mud, blood pools around him as the lotus continue to wilt.

I gasp, suddenly pulled downward all at once, and I fall screaming into the mud.

* * *

I awake with a start, sitting bolt upright in the bed. I'm twisted in the sheets, and there's sweat beading on my brow, making my hair stick to my forehead. I'm breathing heavily, and it takes a second to remember where I am.

I grip my chest, fisting a handful of my T-shirt as I look down into my lap.  
 _Just a dream…Just a dream…_

I'm not at all abated.

Who am I kidding?

It's never just a dream.

I look beside me to see Kanda's lying next to me, perhaps a little closer than when I'd last been awake. He's on his back, breathing quietly, slowly as though with a purpose even in sleep. That same calm, slightly vulnerable look is on his face as the last time I'd seen him like this, something I would never, ever see when he's awake.

One of his arms is splayed across his face, covering his eyes. The other is strangely lying slightly away from his body, resting palms up at my elbow.

I stare at it curiously, contemplating.

I had to wonder…Kanda didn't seem like the kind of person to have ever shared a bed with anyone before, perhaps he doesn't know how to go about it.

I shrug, shaking the idea off as I look about the rest of the room.

It's then that I notice that the pile of blankets resting in the middle of the room are conspicuously empty.

A breeze brushes against my cheek, and I jerk my head to see the window is open, the thin curtains waving lazily as moonlight spills into the room.

The pale glow illuminates a single trail of brightly colored beans going from the makeshift bed to the window and over the sill.

Goz is gone.

I'm instantly wide awake, all thoughts of the dream and Kanda's sex life quickly falling away as I turn towards him.

"Boy Toy. Hey, Boy Toy," I shake him slightly. He doesn't budge. "Hey, Kanda. Come on. Wake up. Kanda? Kanda!" In a fit of frustration, I snatch my pillow and smack him upside the head with it.

"Gah!" Kanda bolts up in the bed, whipping his head from left to right, the strands of his long ebony blue hair spraying about his shoulders. He finally looks at me, and his eyes narrow. "What?"

"Goz is gone," I hiss, gesturing behind me to the abandoned blankets.

Kanda scowls. "So? He probably just went to the bathroom or something." He then flops back down on the bed and turns from me. "Go back to sleep."

"And leave a trail of jelly beans going out the window?"

Kanda looks back at me. "What?"

I point towards the open window. "See? I think he found out something, but didn't have time to wake us. Come on, we should follow his trail."

Kanda groans as he heaves himself out from under the covers. "I think you're giving him too much credit. You better be right about this."

"Oh hush," I chide as I throw my Exorcist cloak over my pajamas and tug on my shoes.

Kanda does the same, pulling his hair up before jumping out the open window. He lands on the ground below with all the silence and grace of cat. I drop down beside him a bit more forcefully, but I don't have time to dwell on it as Kanda soon spots the rest of the jelly bean trail, and we hurry along Dankern's quiet streets.

It continues on into the woods; Kanda crouches beside the bushes, holding up a purple jelly bean.  
I sigh with relief, worried the trail had gone cold.

I looked up again just as Kanda leaps to his feet and jumps back. The Akuma with the axe steps out of the bushes; its body a twisted grey hunk of spikes and veins.

It looks at us with a pair of white, hungry eyes.

Kanda grips his sword, "It's you again."

"What is your purpose in this forest?" I demand of the creature as it leers down at us, letting my Blood subtly flow out from the folds of my cloak. "Why do you kill the people that come to this village?"

The Akuma chuckles. "I'm just doing my job. Following orders. Her orders."

I raise an eyebrow. "Her?"

Kanda raises Mugen. "Mind telling me who 'she' is?"

The Akuma's only response is to lunge forward. Its axe collides with the dirt in the spot Kanda had been standing mere seconds ago as he jumps to evade. Before the Akuma can right its weapon again, I coil my Blood around its arm, pinning it to the ground.

The creature howls in anger as it fights against my Weapon's grip, straining in an attempt to pull its axe from the dirt. But I don't let it.

It gives one final scream of frustration before it unfolds into agony as Kanda slices his blade through the creature's stomach.

It goes stiff, no longer caring about its helpless position as it gasps.  
"I failed you. I'm sorry." With a final cry, its body crumbles to dust.

Kanda straightens up and casts a bemused glance towards the Akuma's remains.  
"Please forgive me?"

"You heard that too?" I call to him, "What do you suppose that means?"

"I don't know."

I shrug, gesturing ahead of us. "The trail continues that way." I point along the manmade path, illuminated by the jelly beans sparkling in the moonlight.

We follow it through the bushes, and it leads to the lily pond, which is oddly not surprising.

Shrouded in shadows rests the Witch's Cabin, its tiny red door like an open mouth amidst the tangled green weeds.

Kanda and I exchange a glance.

"The answer must be inside," he says to me, and then we both hurry through the open door.

The sight beyond it is not one I'm expecting.

Goz is lying on his knees on the single bed in the sparse little shack; his hands and feet are bound behind his back, and his mouth is gagged. He's screaming through the cloth pulled tightly around his mouth.

A figure is crouched beside him; they look up as we enter, and I see the wide, terrified eyes of Sofia's father.

"You're the one to blame!" Kanda thunders as the man scrambles back.

"N-No! I-." he stammers, shaking his head vigorously.

I glance at Goz and see he's also moving his head in the negative.

"Kanda, hold on," I urge, slowly stepping further into the house.

Sofia's father staggers further back, cowering against the wall.

"It's alright," I hold up my arms. "I'm not going to hurt you." I then go over to Goz, and heave him into a sitting position. "That's better," I say, grunting with effort as I then work at the knot of his gag. "Although, I think Kanda would prefer you with this on."

Goz gasps in relief as the cloth falls away.

"He wasn't the one that brought me here! He was trying to save me!" he exclaims, sobbing thickly as tears of both fright and relief slide down his face.

"Do you really have to cry?" Kanda chides as he approaches the bed.

"You'd cry too if you woke up tied up in a bed and have no idea how you got here!" Goz asserts defensively.

Kanda's nostrils flare. "You mean you were asleep the entire time?"

Goz nods, smiling wistfully. "Yeah. I was having the most beautiful dream about a steak."

Kanda rolls his eyes, holding Mugen over the Finder's head. He shrieks, scrambling back, struggling somewhat because of his bonds. However, his fear diminishes as Kanda neatly slices the restraints away, and they fall around the bed, pooling in his lap.

"Whoa, thanks," Goz gasps in relief, "That's much better." He exclaims, stretching his undoubtedly sore limbs.

As he does so, I glance about the cabin. The Innkeeper brought a lantern and its resting on a low table beside a chair. Sitting on the chair is…a lyre.

I raise an eyebrow, but Kanda speaks again, so I return to the conversation.  
"Did someone attack you and take you here?"

"No. I came here all by myself," Goz replies. "There wasn't anyone else, but with the dream I was having, I don't think I'd remember them even if someone was here with me. I was having a dream about the biggest, juiciest steak you could possibly imagine. I kept trying to eat it, but every time I got close, the plate ran away from me. When I woke up, I was all alone and tied up in this bed."

"So you sleepwalked here," I surmise.

"Yeah, sorry," Goz rubs the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly, "My mom always said my love of food was going to get me in trouble."

"Not necessarily," I reply, holding up the purple jelly bean. "If it hadn't been for the trail you'd left of these things, we never would have found you, and who knows what would have happened."

Goz's face falls. "What? I dropped those?" He digs around in his pockets and pulls out the now almost empty bag, noting a conspicuously large hole in the bottom. "Aw man, I lost all the candy."

"Better losing that than your life," Kanda grumbles, turning towards the door. "Now come on. We've wasted enough time."

We go back outside and stand before the lily pond, the Innkeeper comes with us.

"S-So now what?" the old man whispers quietly. I look back to see that he's still trembling. He gives me a forced smile, "Now that you know the danger involved, what will you do?"

Goz shrugs, "Probably go back to my room and eat what's left of the jelly beans."

"Wrong," Kanda asserts, "We're not done here."

"H-Hold on," the Innkeeper's voice is barely a whisper as he points beyond the pond and into the trees, "Do you see the path just beyond those trees? It leads out of the village. Since we're already so close maybe you should think about leaving. In fact, I should join you, so you don't get lost."

I cross my arms, eyeing him suspiciously. "And why is that?"

The man's bottom lip trembles; he swallows heavily as his shoulders heave. A sob escapes his lips as his cane falls from his grasp, and he staggers over to me, holding out his trembling hands.  
"You have to help me," he exclaims, "Please, believe me. There's a witch living in this town!" he cries as he grasps the folds of my cloak, falling to his knees at my feet, "We have to get out of here!"

I raise an eyebrow, glancing up at Kanda.

"Please," the Innkeeper continues to plead, "We have to get out of here!"

"We're staying," Kanda replies coldly.

"N-No! We-We can't!" the man collapses, his hands sliding from their grip on my sleeves as he crumples to the ground, sobbing deeply.

"Listen," I drop to my knees and grabbing his shoulders, yank him upwards, "Pull yourself together. Where is the witch? By the looks of the cabin, someone has been living there until recently." The Innkeeper looks at me, his tired eyes swimming thickly with tears. I shake him slightly, "Why won't you answer me…? Are you _protecting_ the witch?!"

The man looks at me, eyes growing even wider as they continue to flood with such an intense fear and pain. Screeches suddenly rip through the air as a flock of bats erupt from the tree line; the Innkeeper screams and bolts from my grasp, tearing through the trees and vanishing into to the darkness.

"What was that?" Goz asks in his wake. "What made him run off like that?"

Kanda looks thoughtful. "It seems there truly is a witch in town."

Before I can respond, we hear a scream.

It's the Innkeeper.

We bolt into the trees along the path the Innkeeper had vanished into.

The shadows disperse around us a short distance away revealing the pulsating body of an emerging Akuma. Grasped in its claws, I can see the Innkeeper's body. He looks towards me, his head loose on his body, tears pouring from his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I hear him whisper. "Please forgive me."

Seconds later, black stars bubble up along his skin.

"Cas, hold it!" Kanda streaks past me, unsheathing Mugen.

My Blood snaps from my body and coils around the Akuma before it can rise up from the ground. Kanda jumps upwards, propping his body against the twisted shape and using it for support as he sticks Mugen up to the sheath into its mask-like face.

The creature erupts, spraying shrapnel and fire everywhere. It licks at the base of the trees, catching on some of the dryer roots.

The light is blinding amidst the darkness and the pale light of the moon.

"Goz, be careful." I retract my Blood as he steps forward.

"The Innkeeper," he starts, rushing over to his prone form lying amongst the smoking embers.

"There's nothing you can do," Kanda calls to him, sheathing his sword, "The Akuma virus is fatal."

As he speaks, the Innkeeper's body crumbles to ash, withering away within his clothes.

Goz falls to his knees, seemingly overwhelmed. "The poor…The poor man."

I walk over to Kanda, who's picking bits of Akuma out of his hair.  
"Did you hear what he said?"

"Yes, the same words that Akuma uttered before it died."

* * *

We bury the Innkeeper's clothes under a tree, setting his cane against the trunk and putting a wildflower on top of the dirt mound.

Goz kneels before it, clasping his hands and bowing his head, closing his eyes in silent prayer.

I whisper a prayer made for funerals; struggling somewhat as I'd initially heard it in German, and it took me a second to translate it into English. I would have said it in the mother tongue, but I'd might throw up as a result as it had been what I'd heard at Emma's funeral as she lay in her little coffin next to her parents'. I figure puking would be inappropriate.

"It's time to go," Kanda says when I finally finish.

* * *

It's still dark when we return to the edge of Dankern. The moon is bright, hanging in the sky as though it never intends to set.

What time is it?

We hurry along the main street back towards the inn. The air is damp, and there's a light mist along the ground.

The atmosphere is chilling despite the spring air. Kanda and Goz are a little ahead of me again; I stop when I see them freeze, and seconds later, notice the reason why.

Sofia is standing in the middle of the street, the mist curling around her ankles like a milky cloak. Her green shawl is wrapped around her head, and the grey eyes beneath it continue to stare at nothing much like when we'd last seen them.

My Blood starts pumping inside my head, usually a warning sign. I learn to listen to my instincts.

"Boy Toy…" I whisper, subtly moving a little closer to Kanda as Sofia turns towards us.

"I'm glad you came back. Where have you three been? When I woke up, my father and all of you were gone. I was so worried."

There is a kind of flatness to her voice that I pick up on immediately.

Goz drops his eyes. "Well the thing is, your father-"

Kanda holds out a hand to silence him. "Sofia, I have bad news."

"Do you?'

"I'm afraid you father is dead. He was killed by an Akuma trying to escape the village."

"That is bad news."

"Sofia," Kanda takes a step closer to her, "You're the witch, aren't you?"

"Kanda!" Goz is aghast, "The poor thing just lost her father."

"And she doesn't seem all that torn up about it," I remark, looking back at Sofia, who's regarding me with cold, impassive eyes, "Answer the question: are you the witch that plagues this village or aren't you?"

Sofia tilts her head to the side. "I'm not. You are mistaken."

"Then who has been living in Witch's Cabin all this time?" Kanda demands.

Sofia sighs the barest amount. "For generations, this town has told the legend of the Witch, and for years, any old woman unfortunate to leave alone in Dankern village was cast in the role."

"The role?" Goz asks.

"Yes, in exchange for daily meals and a place to stay, she was cast in the role by the town. She became their Witch. As long as there was someone for the townspeople to blame their troubles on, they felt safe, and as long as the townspeople felt safe, the legend of the Witch continues, but one month ago, the old woman who was the town's witch died."

Goz looks confused. "So? Old people die all the time?"

"Idiot," Kanda snaps at him. "The legend is important to them. If the village witch is dead, she has to be replaced with another."

Sofia smiles, but it is without humor. "Correct. The town needed a witch as soon as possible, and it wasn't long before they had selected a replacement. It was Angela; it was my sister."

I raise an eyebrow. They chose someone _young_?

Goz whimpers. "A little girl?"

Even Kanda looks surprised.

"Yes, she was actually my identical twin; however, unlike me, Angela was weak and in poor health. She constantly had to be confined to her bed, but we didn't have the money for a doctor to look at her. So, I took my job in Mitterwald so that we could get the funds for her treatment." Sofia's hand tightened its grip on the scarf around her head, "She knit me this shawl before I left, but as soon as I started working in Mitterwald, Angela was chosen as the next witch. Father tried to stop her, but no one would listen; they took Angela out of her sick bed and set her up in the witch's cabin. And that's where she stayed, all alone with no one to look after her in that cold, dark cabin. It wasn't long before she fell into a coma; she tried to hold on, but in less than ten days…I died."

"It can't be!" Goz wails, gripping the sides of his head. "It's so sad!"

"You said 'I'." Kanda notices it too.

"The day after I died," Sofia turns from us, her eyes traveling up to the church off the road. The stained glass window above the door is cracked. "Sofia came back, hoping to save me. My body was still lying on the bed in the Witch's Cabin when she found me."

"My body…" Goz falters, "What are you talking about?'

"It's simple," I explain quietly, "You see, that's when Sofia met the Millennium Earl."

Sofia's smile widens.  
"That's right."

Goz's form crumples beside me. He slams his fist into the ground, overwhelmed with grief as tears pour from his eyes. "That's terrible! Those two Innocent girls had to lose their lives just so the townspeople could keep their stupid fairy tale alive."

"How nice of you to say that, but there's really no need for it." A chilling wind sweeps along the street, sending goosebumps up and down my arms as it weaves through Sofia's skirts and shawls. She looks up, her eyes glowing pale purple, a poison light. "Sweet boy, don't you understand? I chose to bring myself back. It was my decision to cheat death; I sacrificed my own life in order to gain one that couldn't be lost so easily."

"Then Sofia and Angela, the twin souls that longed to be together, combined to create a powerful Akuma," Kanda surmises.

My eyes widen, realization dawning on me. "Does that mean the villagers…?"

Sofia grins. "It does!"

Footsteps along the mist-covered ground. I look behind me, and I see them: dozens of them, men, women, children, all of them lumbering along, monsters in human skin with glowing eyes and mouths dripping potent black poison.

They close in around us as Goz shrinks closer to Kanda and me.  
"No way. Are they all Akuma too?"

"Yes."

The Finder turns back to Sofia. "You turned everyone in town into an Akuma? That's like something a real witch would do!"

"That's exactly right," Sofia declares proudly, "I saw the legend appealed to people, so I made it real."

"How could you...?" Goz cries.

"How could I what?" Sofia snaps.

"Your father…He loved you."

"My father's only purpose was to watch over his town, but instead he chose to run away. This is his fault!"

"He tried-"

"How dare you show him pity?! He was a pathetic old man!"

"You're wrong." I'm almost alarmed at Goz's outburst. "I don't pity your poor father or what he did; the one I pity is _you_!"

"You're an even bigger fool than I thought," Sofia snarls. "Save your pity. It's wasted on me!"

"Enough of this," I grip my arms as Blood feathers out from under the folds of my cloak.

"Yes," Kanda unsheathes Mugen, "If you're quite finished, I'd like to begin."

"Oh really? What a wonderful idea!" Sofia cackles, "Goodbye, Exorcists!"

She the propels her body into the air, her cloak and shawl falling away as the corpse-like villagers around us all erupt from their human bodies, bulbous Akuma forms swarming around the narrow streets.

Goz shrieks. "What are we going to do?"

Sofia alights on the balcony of the church, before the broken stained glass window.  
"Dankern belongs to its witch and every unfortunate soul that crosses its boarders must suffer at her hands. Nobody leaves this village alive!"

"What do we do?" Goz whimpers.

"Stay back. You'll only get in the way," Kanda shoots back.

"But-" the Finder starts to protest.

"Find a place to hide," I urge him, "Unless you _want_ to die."

Goz scrambles out of the way just as the Akuma open fire. Kanda's Mugen erupts into light as the bullets skirt around us.

My Blood erupts thickly from my body, encircling Kanda and me like an armored serpent, shielding us from the barrage bullets.

The initial assault is swallowed in my Blood. I retract the wall, slicing it into two tentacles as Kanda leaps over my head and cuts through Akuma after Akuma as they hover above us.

The air rings with bullets, and I smell rotting black blood.

I turn as Kanda continues to hack and slash through every Akuma in his path, taking out the other side of the circle, the two tendrils each shish kabobing seven at once and throwing them into the others, causing all of them to erupt on impact.

Dust and shrapnel fall around me as the sky lights up, purple and gold with fire and poison bullets.

Kanda alights onto a roof just as I hear Goz scream.

I turn around, and my eyes widen to see Goz scrambling back against a wall amidst the broken crates he'd been crouching behind. Half a dozen Akuma loom over him, guns poised to shoot.

"Goz!" I start forward, but they open fire.

I'm thrown off my feet under the force of the explosion.

I hit the ground, my ears signing as I roll onto my stomach. I smell the rot of the black blood, but my stomach lurches when a familiar sweet smell fills my nose.

"Kanda!" I roll over and up onto my feet as I see Goz scramble to his feet, partially masked by Kanda, who'd thrown him in front of him to block him from the bullets.

The dream…I remember the dream.

"You're not suited to be a Finder." The Akuma fall like stones as Mugen slips from Kanda's grasp.

"No! Kanda!" I'm sprinting forward as he tips forward, staggering as his shoulders shake. He vomits blood, a blackened puddle against the stone.

I grab onto him before he can fall fully forward.  
"Kanda, please-."

"This is bad," Goz is at his side as soon as I am. "If the virus gets into your blood, you could die."

"You don't have to worry about me. My body is affected by the Akuma virus, just forget it."  
Kanda breaks from my grip and starts forward, stooping gingerly to pick up Mugen.

"Cas."

"Yes…?"

"Cover me."

"Alright."

Kanda picks his way through the mounds of Akuma corpses littering the street. There are still so many in the air, marring the moon like heavy black clouds.

They open fire as Kanda draws closer, but my Blood explodes out from my body and encircles his form as he keeps walking, a living shield, moving and pulsing, and absorbing the bullets.

I gag, feeling the poison work its way back up through my veins, dissipated upon reaching my Innocence heart.

"Mugen!" Kanda calls to his Weapon as the blade glows an alarming azure, shining like the fullest of moons, overshadowing the real thing: a light in the darkness as he raises it above his head. "Bring forth Calamity: Netherworld Insects!"

There's a high-pitched shriek like shattering glass; the air is ripped apart, and from the open wound, spills out the bug-eyed beasts: writhing, flesh-colored bulging demons that swarm the Akuma like piranhas, traveling on the force, the propulsion of the Innocence, and riding the waves of my Blood.

The fusion is mind blowing. I haven't felt this since Mater as the Insects collide with the Akuma and the energy between them rips a scar through the world, exploding outward from the collision point and erupting across the sky.

It rains dust and fire and lightning and all the elements combined. My Blood falls like scarlet rain, peppering the ground.

Now there is only Sofia.

I find myself not really caring or regarding her perch on top of the church as I move to go closer to Kanda.

He jerks his sword towards me: a slight, subtle gesture to remain still. Despite my reservations, I trust his judgement.

"There's one thing I neglected to tell you," Kanda addresses Sofia without turning around.

"What is it?"

"Your father, before he died he said: 'I'm sorry. Please forgive me'."

"So?"

"They were the same words we heard spoken by a villager we defeated," I add, "'I'm sorry. Please forgive me'."

"Who could they have been apologizing too?" Kanda inquires.

"Who knows?" Sofia spat, "And who cares? I have far more important things to concern myself with."

Kanda shrugs. "I suppose you have a point."

Sofia sniggers. "Oh good. I'm glad we see eye to eye." She jumps into the air once more, higher this time, and her body becomes a silhouette against the moon. Her clothes fall away as her Akuma form bursts forth.

It's an armored creature, black and gold like a hornet with a face as sly and yet as hauntingly beautiful as the skin it wore. The body it killed for, the body it died for.

It drops down before me and Kanda. I turn to face it just as its form consumes my vision.

A gasp escapes my lips as it connects with my chest, the blade of its sleek, black arm knocks me to the side and I'm sent hurtling into a wall.

Cracks splinter under my body, and I drop like a stone, momentarily numb. Lightning sparks before my eyes as Kanda charges the Level II Akuma. They meet head on, sparks escaping from the friction of their clashing blades.

Kanda grits his teeth, straining slightly. "You must have killed thousands to reach this level."

"And I've only just begin," Sofia sneers.

Kanda's eyes blaze. "Not if I can help it!" His blade pushes forward a mere fraction, breaking the equilibrium, and the blades slide apart for less than a millisecond. I see a gleam and hear the slicing of metal as Kanda brings his blade through Sofia's arm. The dismembered sword flips through the air and lodges itself in the cobblestones several feet away.

The Akuma stares down at her missing arm in shock before readying her other blade; Kanda retracts to get his bearings before charging again. The Akuma brings down the weapon, but stops half way, her arm jerking in the opposite direction before her entire body being pulled back.

"What…?" the word leaves her lips before I hurl her against the far wall, embedding her into the marble of the church where she rests dazed.

I retract my Blood, leaving it curling and twisting like agitated snakes.  
"How do you like it, bitch?"

The Akuma looks up, a smile curling across her black lips. A purple haze suddenly wafts up from their form, disturbing the air like perfume or a mirage.

I'm seconds late in realizing what is going on before Kanda falls to his knees with a gasp of shock. I whip back towards him only to see he's not looking at the Akuma, or me, or anything.

"What have you…? Kanda!" I'm sprinting towards him, dropping to my knees and grabbing his shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Eye Candy? Eye Candy! Come on, Boy Toy. Snap out of it! Kanda, say something."

He doesn't respond. His eyes are cloudy and unfocused.

I see flashes across those hazy eyes, glimpses of his bedroom, draped in black and purple, and the lotus flower glowing in the corner. Its light suddenly fades as the petals fall apart; the flower crumples, the color draining away as it shrivels one piece at a time.

"Kanda! Kanda, listen to me," my voice drops to a whisper as I reach up and cup his face in my hands, "Kanda, it's not real. Do you hear me? It's just an illusion. Look at me, Kanda." I slowly lower one of my hands and grasp his fingers. "I'm real."

Kanda's eyelids flutter; blinking rapidly, he stares at me, his gaze unfocused.

The sound of shifting stone behind me alerts me to the Akuma regaining her bearings.

I slowly get to my feet, ignoring the Akuma coming towards me as I pull Kanda upwards as well.

I close my eyes, hearing my Blood singing in my ears, overwhelming the shrieks of Sofia as she bears down upon us.  
"Prepare to die!" My eyes snap open as she's one step from sinking her spear arm into the back of my head.

Her whole body goes rigid as she's consumed; the entire back of my body explodes into a tangled, coiling mess of snapping tentacles, twisting and writhing around her, pinning her in place.

I can hear her struggling in my ear, screams escaping through her clenched jaw as she twists in my arms.

The scream is cut off almost instantly, punctuated by the firm slice of Kanda's Mugen piercing through the Akuma's chest, resting the blade just above my shoulder.  
"After you."

I look at him and smile.

The Akuma gasps behind me; I feel her hot blood dribbling into my hair.

Kanda slowly pulls out his Mugen, and my Blood retracts as I feel the Akuma sag in my grasp.

I turn around to see her struggling to remain upright. Black fluid pouring from its lips.  
"H-How…?"

"You can read the memories of your opponents," Kanda proclaims, "You show them their greatest desire in the form of a dream in order to distract or confuse them."

"But you weren't affected!" Sofia hisses at him, "I showed you your greatest desire!"

"The memory that you showed me, that was only the surface of my heart's desire. My true desire can't be granted by another, no matter how powerful."

I look to Kanda in surprise, remembering the withering lotus. What could it mean?

The Akuma chuckles, more blood falling from her lips. "How dark and curious…" Her words collapse into chokes as she finally falls forward, her huge body heaving into the dust as her fluids pool around her.

"Oh no…Sofia!" I hear Goz cry as he rushes over to us.

"S-Stay back!" the Akuma calls weakly as Goz staggers over to stand above her. "I'm…wicked."

"I know you are," Goz says quietly as he drops to his knees before the dying creature, "But I still don't want you to die." His voice shakes as tears stream down his face, "Come back, Sofia."

The Akuma chuckles softly. "Crying over a witch…You're ridiculous. Over a…witch." Her voice fades as her body goes limp and then begins to fade away, crumbling to dust like her victims.

Goz cries harder as Sofia disappears. "I-I couldn't do anything!" he bawls, his shoulders shaking, "I feel so helpless. It hurts so much!" He crumples forward, sobbing louder.

I clench my fists, being reminded of the events in Liverpool. It makes my chest ache.

 _What's the fucking point of having healing abilities if I can't save people?_

I wish Allen was here.

I look over at Kanda, he's leaning heavily against his Mugen, staring at the ground, but not really seeing it.  
"Hey," his head snaps up as I step closer to him. He recoils as I wrap my arms around his shoulders.

"H-Hey! Get off of me!" Kanda exclaims, trying to wriggle free.

"No. Shut up. We're having a moment, God damnit."

Kanda grumbles under his breath but eventually relents, letting me hug him without further reservation, but he still looks uncomfortable.

I don't care. I'm just happy he's alright.

* * *

We return to the lily pond as the sun rises. By the time its high in the sky, we've buried Sofia's remains beside her father's and the green shawl rests on top of his cane, waving lazily in the wind.

The day is bright; the sun makes everything shine and birds sing in the air. The light makes a rainbow-like afterimage against water as we sit beside the lily pond, watching the ripples.

Goz's eyes are all red and puffy. "Sofia…Angela," he whispers.

I fold my arms, trying to stave off a chill.

"There is another Exorcist, a clumsy bean sprout of a boy who claims he can see the souls of Akuma," Kanda suddenly speaks up. I jerk my head towards him in surprise.

Goz sniffs. "I've heard."

"According to him, whenever Innocence is used to destroy an Akuma, the souls trapped within it are released, and they fly away to heaven to live forever in peace."

Goz's head snaps up. "Really? So, you're saying that not only are Angela and Sofia's souls finally together, but they're at peace in heaven?"

"Who knows?" Kanda spat, perturbed at his enthusiasm, "I'm just telling you what the kid told me. Believe what you want. What are _you_ smiling at?" he snaps at me.

I shake my head, smirking. "Nothing."

"You're unbelievable," Kanda mutters as he picks up his sword. "Come on."

"Right," I heave myself to my feet.

Goz looks at us in surprise. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"There's nothing more for us to do here," Kanda replies simply, "Time to move on."

"Wait for me!"

Kanda whirls around, "Stop following me! I told you: you're not suited to be a Finder. Go home!"

Goz's bottom lip trembles.

I sigh, rolling my eyes.

"Listen, Goz," I pull him to the side, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Finders and Exorcists do often work together on assignments, but they're still very different jobs. You can understand that, can't you?"

Goz hesitates for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

"Good. Then, for the good of the Order, why don't we do our jobs and you do yours?"

The Finder's eyes brighten somewhat. "Alright, Cas. Be careful."

"Sure thing," I wink before turning from him, giving him a backhanded wave, "Take care of yourself!"

"Goodbye, Cas! Goodbye, Kanda!" Goz calls, his voice booming through the trees as Kanda and I disappear into the woods.

* * *

"Is this really the place?" Kanda stops in front of the small pub nestled on a side road just off Elfheim's main street.

"If the virtually illegible map is to be believed," I reply simply, glancing down at the indicated paper and then back up at the pub. "Yep, _The Secret_. This is the place."

Kanda grunts in response before stepping forward and pushing on the door.

We walk into a warmly lit, lively space full of happy patrons taking and drinking loudly. The air is ripe with alcohol and merrymaking. I'm itching slightly for a drink of my own. The trip getting here was tiring.

Kanda weaves his way through the crowd towards a booth in the back corner. It's hard to see amidst the people, but I definitely spy a person sitting alone at the shadowed spot.

He leans forward, grinning under the hood of his black and white Exorcist cloak as we approach.  
"You sure took your time getting here, Kanda."  
He speaks in an accent I can't quite place as he slides from the booth and straightens up. He's rather short, almost with a stoop, draped in a poncho-like Order cloak with a peaked hood that gives him the look of a goblin. He's absentmindedly tossing an ornate silver bell the size of a tennis ball between his fingers as he regards us. Beneath his hood, the sides of his face are covered in bandages, but I can make out a pair of deep brown eyes framed by purple makeup and a toothy grin.

"Hello, Daisya," Kanda responds flatly.

The other man, who looks to be about my age, maybe a little older, chuckles in response.  
"Is that all you have to say?" His eyes then flit to me. "Aren't you going to introduce me to my girlfriend?"

"Oh, I'm not his-"

"Don't say stupid things," Kanda snaps as he flops down on the seat opposite Daisya's and crosses his arms.

I roll my eyes. "Cas Williams," I add to him, holding out my hand.

Daisya shakes it, still grinning. "Daisya Barry. It's a pleasure."

I smirk. "I like you're accent. Where are you from?"

"Turkey."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? That's cool."

"Enough with the small talk," Kanda snaps. "We came here to find General Tiedoll. You said you had information about his whereabouts."

"Yeah, well," Daisya rubs the back of his neck awkwardly as he returns to his seat and I take the one next to Kanda. "You see, I _kinda_ know where the General is."

Kanda's eyes narrow. "Kinda?"

Daisya laughs slightly. "I mean, I knew for a fact that he was on the Baelric Islands until quite recently, but he's since moved on."

Kanda angrily drums his fingers against his elbow. "Oh? And where is he now?"

"I have no idea."

"Great," Kanda throws his arms up in dismay, "Well, Spain's only a whole country."

"Gee, Boy Toy, I didn't think you were capable of that level of sarcasm."

Daisya, who had been taking a sip of his drink, does an impressive spit take.  
"Boy-what?"

I shrug. "Well, he is."

Kanda groans, rubbing his brow. "Between the two of you, I might have to use Mugen on _myself_ by the end of this trip."

"Don't forget Marie; he's on his way to the area to meet up with us," Daisya chimes in.

"Marie?" I ask.

"Yeah, haven't you ever met him? He's one of Tiedoll's apprentices too."

"She didn't train under the General," Kanda answers for me. "But that's irrelevant, where is Marie now?"

"France, I believe," Daisya replies, "He says there's a pretty dense Akuma infestation along the Gulf of Lion."

"Well, I suppose that's where we're headed to start off with," Kanda declares sourly, "It's on the way, at least. Once we reach Spain, we'll start in the Mediterranean area. Hopefully, the General won't have covered too much ground between now and then. Regardless, we've got a long trek ahead of us."

"Not to mention going over the Pyrenees once we reach the boarder," I remark, getting to my feet, "Now that that's settled, I'm going to make a phone call."

"Why are you calling the Order?" Kanda demands.

"I'm not. I'm calling my grandmother," I reply as I turn to leave. "Since we're in the country, I won't have to call collect."

I don't wait for a response as I cross the still crowded pub, bumping between the moving bodies of singing and merrymaking and going over to the secluded alcove where there's a phone booth.

I glance around me, suddenly wary, even though there's no immediate harm.

Now that things have settled down, I need to make a phone call to my grandmother.

I pick up the receiver and dial.

 _Hello? Audrey Williams speaking,_ my grandmother answers in German.

 _Hello, Grandma,_ I reply back in the same tongue.

"Cas!" she switches back to English, "Well, isn't this a surprise. So soon after your visit. How are you? Is something wrong?"

"Not-" I tighten my grip on the phone, "No. Nothing's wrong. I'm just back in the country, so I thought I'd give you a call while I'm here."

"Just a call? Why don't you come and visit me again? It's not too soon, and bring that Allen boy with you. I'd love to see him again."

"I'm not with Allen," I reply thickly, "I'm with some other Exorcists, and besides, I'm a little too far south. In the Schwarzwald area."

"The Black Forest? Well, then keep your wits about you; that area has always attracted swarms of Akuma."

"I noticed."

"Any luck in finding Cross?"

"Not really. I've actually been temporarily reassigned to locate General Tiedoll."

"Oh Tiedoll! What a lovely man; I haven't seen him in ages. He and Yeegar are the only two still around from my day if I recall…" she trails off, "Speaking of which, I-I heard."

The waver in my grandmother's voice is more than a little unsettling.

"Yeah, it's awful."

"Yes, it is. He was such a lovely man."

I take a deep breath. "Grandma, why didn't you ever tell me you were the one that recruited him to the Order?"

"I don't really know why; I suppose it just never came up. Regardless, I wish I'd told you more about my time as an Order General. Perhaps, I could have prepared you better for things."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," I assert.

"Now then, Cas; what is it you'd like to talk to me about?'

"Huh?"

"Oh, come now, Cas; you wouldn't just call me to check in. You never do that. During those years you were training under Hermenshire, I didn't hear a word!"

"Well, I was still a little sore you threw me out of the house with nary a thing but the clothes on my back."

"You're not sore now, are you?"

"Well…it's just," I trail off, "You didn't tell me a lot of things, Grandma; I suppose we can partially blame Elizabeth for that, trying to keep me away and all that."

"Cas, what are you getting at?"

"I met Mother recently," I finally say. "I went to Liverpool with Allen and another Exorcist to see if she had any information on Cross."

"Oh. Oh, I see."

"Why didn't you ever mention her?"

"Didn't we just discuss this?'

"Stop avoiding the question. She knew about me at least," I grit my teeth, trying to mask my bubbling frustration, "She knew more than just my name."

"Cas…"

"She said something, something I probably wasn't meant to hear. She said I had a sliver of ice in my heart. Does she…Does she know?" My voice is quivering, shaking with anger.

"Cas-"

"Does she know?!" I'm shouting now, my voice drowning into the chortles of the crowded pub.

"Cassandra! Please, just listen."

"I trusted you with that information." My palm is sweaty against the cold metal of the telephone, "I told you because you're my fucking grandmother, and I trusted you to love me unconditionally regardless of…regardless of what I came back as. You were the first one I asked to be called 'Cas'. How-How could you…Nobody else can know! If they knew, if anyone. I don't tell anyone that. Emma didn't even know!"

"Cassandra, I'm sorry. I know you're scared, but please just listen to me."

My words catch in my throat, and I hiccup awkwardly, still trembling.

"Mother doesn't know everything; I never would have revealed that information to anyone after you, five years old, begged me so intensely not to. Don't you think it wasn't hard for me? When that-."

"Don't you dare say 'thing'."

"When you came back from that place, the Fourteen Place, you called it. Don't you think I wished so desperately to do something? To turn back time, to prevent what had occurred, what had happened to you. What you lost, what you gained."

"You know what that would have meant. I don't even remember what it was like before then. If…If I'm even the same as I was before."

"You are in the most important ways."

I laugh, but it's without humor. "So you confided in Mother then? Did she become your rock?"

"Even the greatest of Generals need advice from time to time, and Mother gives good advice."

"She doesn't trust me. She told Allen that!" My voice rises again, "Lord knows what she thinks of me! And if she told anyone else! How dare you? How dare you break that promise to me that you made all those years ago? You swore on your life! Don't you dare utter another word of this to anyone else as long as you live, Audrey Williams. This is mine and mine alone. Nobody else can know!"

With that, I hang up, slamming the receiver back onto its rack, causing the whole booth to rattle slightly.  
I stand there, breathing hard, taking a second to get my bearings.

"Family troubles?"

I jump and whirl around to see Daisya standing there, leaning against the wall.

"H-How long have you been standing there?" I spat venomously.

Daisya holds up his hands. "Hey, easy. I didn't hear anything incriminating. Sounds like it was quite the squabble though."

"It…" My words collapse into a sigh as I unfurl my fists that I hadn't even noticed I'd been clenching. "My family's small…and broken. Every little thing feels like an explosion."

"Perhaps," Daisya shrugs, "But I suppose that ought to make the bonds that count stronger?"

"Yeah," I snort. "Maybe." I look back up at him, my gaze incredulous. "Do you have family?"

Daisya chuckles. "Yeah, the works: mom, dad, two little brothers, and a little sister. Well, probably not so little now, the last time I saw them was ten years ago."

My eyes widen. "Why'd you leave?"

"Same reason you did, I expect."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what reason is that?"

Daisya chuckles. "Because you wanted to live a life people didn't understand."

I'm somewhat taken aback.

"Am I right."

"Yes, actually. Wow."

Daisya grins, unfolding his arms and stepping away from the wall. "Do you want to get an ice cream?"

I blink. "Huh?"

"I'd ask Kanda, but he's not really a patron of anything related to 'fun'."

I snigger. "True enough. Alright, I'm down for that. Let's go get ice cream."

"Sweet," Daisya agrees, moving towards the door of the pub.

I follow. "So, tell me a little more about Turkey."

* * *

A/N: This chapter wore me out; lots of fight scenes, and it turned out way longer than I intended. Although, in the wake of the Alma Karma arc in D. Gray Man Hallow, it was interesting to revisit this episode now with the knowledge of Kanda's past fresh in my mind. I hope you all enjoyed.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N: I am PUMPED for this chapter…in all the worst ways possible. I hope you enjoy.  
Also, whoever catches the Game of Thrones reference gets a cookie.

* * *

Chapter 29: Shroud of Darkness

* * *

It's still raining pretty hard.

I crouch under the hood of the covered wagon as it trundles along the bumpy dirt road laden with flooded pot holes, moist and miserable.

Who knew Spain could get this much rain this time of year? It feels more like Indian monsoon season; it's been in full downpour for over a week, and it's made our journey uncomfortable and, worse, slow.

Daisya is resting beside me, his hood pulled down over his eyes in an attempt to shield himself from the storm. Kanda is curled up on his side further into the wagon with his back to us and his knees against his chest; every time the carriage goes over a particularly hard bump, he groans quietly.

Who knew Kanda could get motion sickness?

"Geez, I'm bored," I glance up from my log book as Daisya heaves a dramatic sigh, thumping his head against the inside of the wagon. He looks at me, "You still cataloging?"

I nod. "I'm a little behind. You weren't kidding about France. It's was an Akuma infestation!"

"Well, at least that's all at our backs," Daisya remarks, "Although I can't say I'm all that relieved. At least in France there was something to do!"

I sigh, shaking my head. "Well, I'm afraid that I've already exhausted all of my instruments of entertaining you, Daisya."

He jabs a finger at me. "At least you're an interesting conversationalist. Unlike some other people," he not to subtly gestures to Kanda.

"Leave him alone," I chide, "He doesn't feel well."

The carriage jostles again, and Kanda groans as if to prove my point.

It is true, however; I find that Daisya and I have become rather chummy these last few weeks during our long trek through southern Europe.

As April melted into May and now almost June, I found us spending many a late night sitting on the backs of various wagons and carriages, talking and watching the stars.

Daisya knew nearly all of the constellations.

"My dad taught them to me; pretty impressive for a shopkeeper."

During our talks, I learned that Daisya had grown up in a small coastal town in Eastern Turkey along the Mediterranean Sea. His parents had been simple working class storeowners who ran a tourist spot.

Daisya would often loudly complain about how dull life was in that town; how the water always looked the same, the people always talked about the same things, and even the children always played the same games.

I told him I could relate and found myself opening up to him about Waterende, at least in small ways, talking about the little town with its little people that had tormented me most of my life.

"Lucky for us, we both became Exorcists," Daisya declared with a smirk, "We're never bored now!"

Despite its shortcomings, I couldn't help but feel that Daisya still missed his family. As much as he would complain about his annoying siblings, how his brothers would squabble and bicker about every little thing, and it didn't take much for his baby sister to burst into tears, there was still a fondness, a tenderness in his words about them.

As an only child, I found it to be rather interesting.

I'd never really considered the idea of Exorcists having family to leave behind; they always seemed to be the victims of circumstances. Allen abandoned and then his adoptive father killed, my escaping a neglectful and abusive home life, Lavi as a detached Bookman, Lenalee with her parents killed and now all she had was her brother and the Order. And Lord knows what happened to Kanda.

However, there were those others had left behind, those they sacrificed, for the sake of their Innocence, for the sake of themselves.

Daisya apparently found me to be just as interesting as I did him, if even more so.

He was practically floored when I told him about Emma, and explained my dual sexuality.

It took him a while to get his head around it.

"So, you like them both the same? Boys and girls?"

I'd looked up. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, everyone has a preference."

I'd smirked. "Then everyone is missing half of life's pleasures." I'd then pointed to a beautiful blonde woman that was sitting across the room in the inn we were staying in. "God made that, and it delights me. God made this," I thump Kanda, who is dozing on the bench beside me, "And it delights me."

Daisya laughs. "Fascinating."

I suppose it was in that moment that I realized how much of a different reception my sexuality had gotten in the Order. Kanda was kind of weirded out by it, but it was nothing compared to the scorn and ridicule I'd received in Waterende. Most everyone simply waved it off as no big deal, people like Allen and Lenalee, and some, like Daisya, even embraced it.

"What do you suppose they think about?" Daisya's words jerk me from my musings, back to the wagon and the rain.

"Huh? What does who think about?"

"Golems," he gestures to Betty, my Order issued Golem as it flits in circles above our heads. "Do you suppose they have any thoughts of their own. You know, when they're not transmitting."

I shrug, closing my log book and stuffing it into one my bottomless pockets. "I dunno. I don't really think the usual one's do, but a friend of mine, Allen, he's got a Golem that seems a little more sentient. It's called Timcampy, and it's actually got its own personality. I think he has thoughts of his own; I'm not sure what though. He doesn't exactly speak."

Which is weird, because it looks like Timcampy has lips.

I shake the thoughts off because its making me think of Allen.

It has been fifty-eight days since I'd last seen him.

But who's counting?

"Still bored."

"Do you want me to read the Bible?"

"Oh! Not that stuffy nonsense again! I got my fill of that in Sunday school."

"Did they ever tell you about the time King David cut off two hundred men's' penises and carried them back to his suitor's father in a bag?"

Daisya leans forward. "Go on."

I smirk knowingly as I open my worn copy and begin to read as the rain continues to drum over our heads.

* * *

It clears up the following day as we reach Tarragona. The sky is now a clear, cloudless blue, accented by the gentle salt tinge of the iridescent sea, a mirror reflection of the azure heavens as it sparkles across the horizon.

"Ah! The weather is great," Daisya exclaims from our position on top of arena ruins where we have a clear view of the beaches. He stretches, "I think I'll go for a swim. How about you guys?'

"Sounds good," I reply, grimacing as I tug at the collar of my Exorcist cloak. This shit's getting kinda stuffy now that it's almost summer.

"We don't have time for that," the Finder that has been accompanying us for the last few days, asserts firmly, "Akuma have appeared just north of here and are on the move to Barcelona."

Daisya chuckles. "I know, but a guy can dream."

The Finder looks pensive. "General Tiedoll is said to be in that area also. That's what Exorcist Marie's report had said. You both trained under the General, correct?" he asks of Kanda and Daisya.

The former nods.

"Sort of," the latter adds, "We worked by the General's side and followed him during his missions."

"What kind of person is the General?" the Finder inquires.

Kanda suddenly stiffens.

"I'm sorry!" the man quickly exclaims.

"It's not that. Duck!" I rush him, shoving him to ground just as Kanda draws Mugen and the sky fills with Akuma.

They hover above us like a rolling storm cloud, at least a half dozen.

Kanda draws Mugen in a burst of blue light. Daisya kicks up his leg, balancing his bell-shaped Innocence on his knee like a soccer ball.

I'd learned during our talks he'd had plans of being a professional player as a kid.

Between them, I open my palms and allow twin currents of Blood to erupt from each one, striking through the center of the two Akuma furthest to the left and right.

I remember Daisya's reaction when I'd first displayed my Weapon:

"You're just full of surprises, aren't ya? I've never met a Parasite-type before."

The Akuma explode in bursts of fire. Daisya tears fearlessly forward, bursting through the flames, the golden light of his 'Charity Bell' matching their glow as he kicks it out and knocks two Akuma into each other.

They detonate as they collide. Kanda swings his blade expertly, and a rippling electric current takes out the remaining three.

As the smoke clears, the Finder glances up from his spot on the ground.  
"Is everyone alright?'

"You're asking us? That was kind a tumble," I hold out my hand to him, "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," the man replies as he takes it, and I pull him to his feet.

"It seems there are more Akuma heading towards Barcelona than we thought," Daisya muses. "Probably after the General; they're relentless."

"And yet you seem to be having fun," Kanda observes.

"I hate being bored more than anything, but I've had plenty to do as an Exorcist. You fear more alive that way. I guess I can thank Tiedoll for that."

I find myself strangely relating to Daisya's philosophy; I too had become an Exorcist to stave off 'boredom' so to speak. The shut out all the noise, to stop the urge to throw myself against the wall until bruises peppered my arms and to cute up my fingers and toes until they were shredded, useless mandibles pooling in Blood.

"Cas? You coming?"

I'm jerked from my thoughts to see the other three have continued on along the edge of the ruins.

"Oh, right. Coming!" I call as I run to catch up.

* * *

All that's left of the Finder is a shredded beige robe and a smashed mobile telephone.

Daisya grits his teeth as he picks up a small metallic fragment: an Akuma bullet.

"The virus is still lingering," I warn him, causing him to hastily drop it. "I can smell it. This man couldn't have been dead for more than a few hours."

"The Akuma must have been through here this morning," Kanda surmises.

"That means they have the advantage," Daisya remarks.

"Perhaps we-SLAM!-Ow!"

Kanda has taken both mine and Daisya's heads and slammed us into the ground, so we are flat on our stomachs in the dirt.

"What the flying fuck was that for?" Daisya demands, massaging his bruised chin.

Kanda holds up a hand to silence him. "Get down. There's something moving over there," He points to the long line of grasses waving lazily in the wind further down the slope we're currently

At its base is a narrow beach leading out to the Mediterranean Sea.

We all peer cautiously over the edge of the slope.

"Let's go!" Kanda says after a moment.

Daisya and I follow him as we half run, half slide down the rocky slope and tear through the tall grasses.

We draw up short as the dirt turns to sand. My eyes widen when I see a large, broad-shouldered figure standing on the shoreline, facing the waves. He's got a huge, brown head that's almost entirely shaved save a corase black ponytail sticking out the top.

I then notice the black and white coat.

"An Exorcist!"

"Kanda and Daisya," the man speaks, "And someone I do not recognize."

"Marie," Kanda addresses him.

"About time!" Daisya cries, "I was starting to think you'd gotten lost."

My jaw drops in spite of myself. _This_ is Marie?

I'd spent the last month and a half thinking Kanda and Daisya's comrade was a woman.

"Where have you been all this time?" Daisya continues.

"Be quiet," Marie snaps and the other man instantly falls silent.

Kanda, meanwhile, walks closer to him. I follow, and as I approach, I see that Marie is wearing a pair of large silver headphones.

Weird.

"How many?" Kanda asks quietly as he moves to stand next to him.

"One hundred," Marie replies after a pause, "Two hundred. There are too many of them for me to hear them all, a huge mass of them."

"You can hear the Akuma from all the way over here?"  
I step forward to stand on the other side of Marie. His eyes are partially closed, what I can see is cloudy and unfocused. Is he blind?

Marie tilts his head in my direction.  
"No heartbeat. If I had not heard you walk and speak, I would not have even known you were here."

I smile sheepishly. "That's some crazy good hearing."

"We all have our strengths to make up for our shortcomings," Marie replies simply before turning back to Kanda. "The Akuma will reach Barcelona by nightfall."

"Nightfall!" Daisya cries, "We'll never make it there by then no matter how fast we run."

Kanda ignores him. "What about the General?" he inquires of Marie.

"He is…" Marie pauses, listening, "Near the city."

"Then let's get moving," Daisya cries.

"Hold on." Marie turns and starts moving down the beach.

"What is it?" I ask.

He doesn't respond as he pulls apart the shoulder-high sea grass. My eyes widen when I see, nestled in an alcove of the shore, is a small steam ship.

"Sweet! A boat!" Daisya exclaims, "Not bad, Marie."

"We'll get there in no time," Kanda agrees.

"Right, but we must hurry," Marie urges.

We all then clamber aboard. The engine rumbles to life as Marie grips the wheel.

"Um, are you sure he can drive this thing?" I whisper to Kanda.

"One's hearing is not our only sense," Marie replies simply.

I grimace. "Uh sorry."

"No need to apologize. I do not believe I caught your name."

"It's Cas."

"The General William's granddaughter."

"That's me."

"It is a pleasure."

"Likewise."

"Let's get going!" Daisya cries, practically hopping up and down on the spot. "Massive swarm of Akuma heading towards Barcelona, remember?"

"Then let us be off," Marie declares, turning the wheel and pulling us from the shore. We break into the water and speed away along the narrow shore, hugging the coastline as we head north towards the city.

To our left, the sunset is red.

Blood red.

* * *

It's night by the time we reach the city. The walls of Barcelona rise up from the shadows like the battlements of a castle. As the boat draws closer, I hear screams and the peppering of gunfire.

Purple fireworks erupt across the face of the city wall. I catch glimpses of iridescent barriers bubbling Akuma midflight.

The bits of light give me flashes of the creatures.

It's a swarm. The Akuma seem to be melting out of the very darkness of the night.

My Blood pounds in my ears. I have never seen so many in one place.

I swallow heavily.

The gleam of the Charity Bell exploes out of the darkness as Daisya kicks it off from the bow of the ship. It streaks through the sky like a comet, slicing through Akuma after Akuma, bouncing from one tortured body to the next.

As each one is struck, they freeze, painted faces showing confusion and terror.

Charity Bell strikes back to its owner, and Daisya bounces it on his knee. "Ta da! You've all become a bell now."

As he speaks, a shock wave erupts from each of the struck Akuma, reverberating through the air the sonic chimes of dozens of church bells, round and around the chorus goes.

I hear it singing in my teeth as I grip the edges of the boat in a white-knuckle hold.

The sky lights up with new yellow fireworks as each of Daisya's Akuma victims explode, taking those nearby with them, swallowed by the sound.

"Look!" I hear a Finder shout from the docks. "It's the Exorcists."

Cheers follow suit.

I smile in spite of myself, hearing the relief in their cries.

The dock looms ahead of us as the Akuma turn and open fire. Geysers of freezing water shoot up all around us as the bullets strike the surface around our ship.

We leap from the boat, never slowing as it nears the docks.

I land on the stone and roll to the side as the ship is hit with a bullet, finding its mark too late as the virus rips apart nothing but wood.

Kanda drops down beside me, coat flapping in the wind as he brandishes Mugen.

"First Illusion: Underworld Insects!" The bug-eyed creatures slither from their scar and tear through the Akuma, a swarm devouring a swarm.

Kanda dives to a side as a cluster behind him fires down upon the docks, splintering the stone.

I stand in the center, the wind from the colliding attacks licking at my cloak and hair. I curl my fists.

"Innocence, activate!" I throw my head back and blood drips from my eyes just as my pores split, and dozens of scarlet tentacles erupt from every inch of my body. They bloom outwards like vines of ivy, snapping and flaying as they slice and curl through and around every Akuma within their reach.

They lengthen and twist, growing and multiplying as more Akuma strike me with their bullets. They singe at my hair and one grazes my cheek, but my Blood diverts all others fired as though knowing my enemies' movements before even them.

"Charity Bell!" Daisya kicks through another round of Akuma, knocking them apart like aggressive bowling pins.

He snaps his fingers and the bells sound again.

Marie's strings shred the air.  
"Noel Oregon!" He whispers, clapping his hands together as the strings burn white hot, and all the Akuma within their web melt.

I spin on my heel, my hand extending in a Blood-coated tentacle as I grasp a swooping Akuma by the end of one of its guns and drag it through several of its comrades, each one tearing apart as its massive body breaks past them.

I catch a glimpse of the full moon, a break in the shadows.

Kanda's Mugen glows one last time before I realize its over.

At least for the moment.

I stand on the docks amidst the cracked stone, breathing heavily as my Blood continues to flick lazily around my body.

"You good, Cas?" Daisya drops down beside me.

I glance up. "Yeah."

"That was pretty crazy. I've never seen so many."

"Neither have I."

"That wasn't nearly the last of them," Kanda reminds us as he approaches us. "There are more coming."

"They've locked down the city, but the Finders will let us in," Marie adds.

"We'll split up," Kanda adds, "There's four of us so each one of us will take one of the four corners of the city. Protect your quadrant at all costs."

"Got it!" Daisya calls before turning and hurrying towards the city gates just as the Finders open the portcullis.

I glance up at the steep walls, sighing heavily.  
Our job would be so much easier if Akuma couldn't fly.

* * *

It's madness.

Spots of light flash across my vision as I streak over the rooftops, leaping from building to building. My Blood revolves around my body like a wire cage, deflecting and slicing through any Akuma that comes within a six-foot radius

I draw up short on the perch of a gable, swinging my arm to unleash a barrel of Bloody spikes that strike through the mask-like faces of several Akuma.

I turn as they detonate to see a few dozen more hovering closer.

They just keep coming.

I grit my teeth in frustration before a yell rips through my throat. It fuels the Blood forward as I thrust my arms out, and it explodes from my limbs in a single, gigantic wave. I nearly lose my footing under its weight as it expands outward, curling around the crowd of Akuma.

I bring my palms together, mimicking the wave as it encircles the creatures, crushing them together. A faint blast is heard and light bleeds through the crimson liquid as it evaporates into the air.

I drop to one knee, breathing heavily.

A black shape flashes in the corner of my eye. I give a yell, throwing myself backward and find myself in immediate free fall.

Something is knocked to the side, but I don't pay it any heed as I stick out my hand and release a rope of Blood. It stabs through the Akuma's eye like a harpoon. My arm jerks up as the rope loses slack, and it breaks my fall enough for me to alight to the ground just as the Akuma erupts over my head.

I sneeze as the dust descends around me, brushing strands of my hair, coming loose from their curls, out of my face as the smoke clears.

I soon notice what had been knocked away.

"Betty!" I exclaim, whipping about me anxiously. The silent streets give no response. "Ah shit! That damn thing could be anywhere!" I exclaim, knowing that the force of that Akuma could have knocked it halfway across the city.  
"Fuck me," I spat as I take a running start and leap back onto the roof of a building across the street for another round of parkour in search of my elusive golem.

I run along the tops of the buildings at a frantic pace, encountering Akuma at nearly every other step. It becomes almost methodical after a time, like there's a rhythm to the many ways my Blood can slice them apart.

I keep my eyes peeled, squinting through the darkness and falling shrapnel for any sign of my little golem, but black on black isn't exactly a good combination.

I'm starting to feel anxious as the Akuma finally let up enough for me to pause to get my bearings.

I hear explosions in the distance, but its about the only contact I have with my comrades until I find Betty. I fish into my pocket and pull out my watch. I have to check in with Kanda in less than ten minutes.

Shit.

I scan the rooftops, low except for _La Sagrada Familia_ in the center of the city, its brown towers almost coral-like in texture. I think absentmindedly how I'd always wanted to see it: the Church that, even after hundreds of years, still isn't complete.

Something moves out of the corner of my eye. I look downwards into the street below; there's no light form the lampposts or any of the buildings full of cowering civilians, so the shadows are dense. However, I can just barely make out the image of a tall figure walking calmly along the center of the road like they don't have a care in the world.

My eyes narrow. I crouch down, perched like a cat on the precipice of the roof. I thrust out my hand and my Blood shoots out like a whip, snatching the person around the middle, pinning their arms to their sides.

"Thoughts you could escape huh?" I call down, "Did you really believe hiding in your human form would help you get away? I'm afraid that won't work on me, Akuma."

I drop down from the edge of the roof, still holding out my arm so as to maintain my Blood.

"You are mistaken," the figure calls back; their back is to me, so I can't their face, "I'm not an Akuma."

I tilt my head to the side, contemplating. I suppose it doesn't really make sense for an Akuma to be hiding in its skin during an all out attack like this.

"You can trust me," the person insists, "What reason would I have to lie to you?"

There also wouldn't be any point in trying to deceive me; if they are an Akuma, they'd have already tried to kill me.

Eventually, I relent, lowering my arm as I retract my Blood.

"Sorry about that. Guess I'm a little on edge."

The figure doesn't turn around even as I release them. "No harm done. Although, I apologize for catching you at work, Cas."

I stiffen. "How do you..." my voice trails off.

"You wound me, Cas. It hasn't been that long. Don't you remember me?"

An explosion goes off somewhere else in the city, momentarily illuminating the street. My eyes widen when I see the man standing before me: tall, slender, dressed in a crisp black suit with a white cravat and tall top hat. This is all unfamiliar, but the face…Clear porcelain skin framed in wavy black curls with coal black eyes and a mole on the left cheek.

I stagger back, tripping over nothing and falling on my ass in the middle of the street. "Tyki!"

My voice comes out a little shriller than I would have liked.

Tyki chuckles, striding over to me. "And so the stars have aligned once again, it would seem. How lovely to see you again, and after so long." He holds out his hand to me. "May I?"

I cautiously take it, allowing him to pull me to my feet.

He's standing much closer to me now, and I'm able to soak in his beautiful features all over again.

"What are you doing here?" I look him up and down, "And why are you dressed like you're going to a dinner party?"

Tyki laughs, removing his top hat and running his fingers through his slicked-back curls.  
"Why? Do you not like what you see?"

"No! I like it a lot actually," I quickly reply. "It's just. I didn't expect you, a salt miner, to look like this."

"I suppose you could say I have a surprise or too up my sleeve," Tyki replies simply, winking at me, "But humans, as they go, lead many lives, and therefore, so do I."

"What do you-? Watch out!" I cut myself off as I shove Tyki to the side just as an Akuma swoops down over our heads. I twist my body and rip my Blood through its chest, tearing it in half.

Its explosion knocks me back; Tyki catches me at the shoulders as we're both pressed against the wall of the building behind us.

"Sorry about that," I turn to face him, twisting in his grip.

"No apology is necessary," Tyki smiles. "You just save my life after all, Lady Exorcist."

God, those eyes!

I step away from him, suddenly uncomfortable as I remember how we'd left things during our first meeting. I'd kissed him as my train had whisked me away back to the Order.

In that moment, I'd thought I'd never see him again.

Life is long, and he's still hot.

"Cas, are you alright?"

"Yes! I just-Betty!" I suddenly cry, remembering my missing golem a little too quickly.

Tyki blinks. "Betty?"

"My golem," I quickly explain as I turn and hurry off down the street. "It went missing a while ago. I need to find it, so I can check in with Kanda."

Tyki follows me, "Kanda?"

"One of my colleagues."

"You're not here alone?"

"No. There's three other people with me. Did you honestly think I was taking on this many Akuma by myself?"

"I'd believe it."

"You flatter me. Hold it," I place a hand across his chest, keeping him from stepping out of the alley we'd run into. As soon as I do so, several Akuma sweep over our heads.

I watch them warily, not liking the idea of bursting out into the open and potentially getting roasted, and if Tyki insists on following me, that'd be even more problematic.

I feel him brush up against me, tenderly caressing my hair with his gloved hand as he whispers in my ear. "You're so focused." His breath is hot against my skin, and my insides quiver.

"Tyki, stop it," I hiss. "I'm trying to think."

"Why bother?" he asks, grasping my wrist and spinning me around, pinning me against the wall of the alley. "You said it yourself: you have comrades in the area. Let them take care of it."

"Tyki-" I start, but my words catch in my throat as he rests his arm beside my head and leans forward, so that our noses are almost touching. I swallow. If I had a heart, it'd be pounding.

"I missed you, did you know that?" he whispers, reaching up to gently caress the side of my face. "You have consumed my thoughts ever since that day you captured my lips on the train platform. Well then," his other hand slides down the rough stone of the alley wall before coming to rest on my hip. When he speaks next, his voice is low and husky, "Shall we pick up where we left off?"

"I-" Whatever I was about to say evaporates as Tyki presses his lips to mine. Electricity sparks under my skin as my insides twist, contracting at the feeling of his mouth against mine, feeling the heat and the hunger in it.

Before I know it, I'm kissing him back: my arms snaking around his neck, knocking his top hat off and fisting a handful of his sleek, black curls.

Tyki's long tongue parts my lips, and I gasp quietly as he presses his body against me, pushing me further into the wall.

I inhale sharply as he abruptly moves his lips from mine, trailing his tongue along the scape of my jawline, moving further south as his hands slid along the my pelvis and then further down my legs.

My insides ache, and I throw my head back, my body burning against the cold stone.

Tyki's teeth graze my neck. He hooks one hand on the underside of my knee, wrapping my leg around his waist while the other presses against the wall behind my head, pushing further against me to allow better access to my neck as he sucks sharply on the tender flesh.

"Ah! Tyki!" the moan leaves me before I realize it.

I blush heavily as Tyki rears back, chuckling darkly.

"I had to repay you for the last time. I'll kiss you somewhere else too, if you want." His long, slender hands trail expertly along the scape of my thigh that he has hoisted against his hip, trailing a finger experimentally along the clasp of my belt.

My thoughts are foggy, dizzy with pleasure.

I don't know how to respond, and I never do.

There's a loud crack like a firework and a burning, golden blur suddenly explodes in front of my vision, nearly singeing off my nose.

Tyki jumps back as the light explodes between us, releasing his hold on me and causing me to fall on my ass against the alley wall.

I slump to the ground, gasping heavily as I try to come down from my high and make sense of my surroundings.

"You! Stay away from her!"

"What?" I whip my head towards the mouth of the alley to see Daisya standing there, just as Charity Bell flies back over, and he stops it under his foot.

"Daisya? What are you doing here?" I exclaim, attempting to get to my feet.

"Your golem went dark, so Kanda sent me to check on ya," he replies simply. "Good thing I did to."

I'm suddenly really embarrassed.

"You," Daisya kicks up his Bell, bouncing it lightly on his knee as he addresses Tyki. "You're not an Akuma. This city's in lockdown; why would a human just be wandering around? You're either really foolish or…"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tyki clench his fists.

"What is your name, Exorcist?" he asks quietly.

I glance up at him in surprise from my half standing position, still flattened against the wall.

"Daisya Barry."

Tyki smiles slightly. "Your name isn't on my list. You should leave if you know what's good for you." He takes a step closer to me, "I'm here for her and only her."

Daisya's Bell rockets between us yet again, bouncing off a wall and flying back to knock against his knee. "I said stay away from her."

"You really shouldn't be meddling in things that are no concern of yours, boy," Tyki whispers. His voice takes a sudden edge to it that leaves me instantly alert.

I slowly slide back to my feet.

He looks at me, smiling slightly. "I really was enjoying myself, Cas. Believe me."

Then a shadow passes over his face. In that instant, his skin darkens to a deep umber.

My stomach twists into dozens of knots, and my Blood roars as a familiar row of black scars bloom across his forehead. He slides his lose curls back from his brow as he opens his eyes; they're bright gold.

He grins, showing a row of shark-like teeth.

My Blood churns in my head, sweeping up my thoughts in a torrent.

Tyki's a Noah. Tyki's a Noah! Tyki's a fucking Noah!

I KISSED A FUCKING NOAH!

TWICE!

"Daisya, run!"

"Charity Bell!"

The glowing ball streaks into the alley for a third time. I have the sense to get out of the way this time, scrambling out of the alley towards Daisya, my body burning for an entirely different reason now.

I'm ripping pissed.

I whip around just as Tyki lightly sidesteps Daisya's attack and exits the alley, standing before us with his hands in his pockets.

I clench my fists, shaking with anger. "Y-You tricked me!"

"Is that all you can say?"

"You're a fucking Noah!"

"Obviously."

"What were you planning on doing?"

"What did you _think_ I was planning?"

"That wasn't what I-"

"Cas, shut up!" Daisya snaps.

I look towards him in surprise, and the severity of our situation hits me all at once.

Daisya is here…And it's my fault.

I turn back towards Tyki, who's still standing there as though waiting for us to make the first move.

He may gorgeous, but I'm still going to rip him apart.

With a yell, my Blood erupts from my body, elongating out to cover every inch of the street. A few of them fly directly at Tyki like projectiles; I wait for the satisfying crunch of them hitting their mark, but it doesn't come.

The Blood passes clean through his body as though it's smoke.

My eyes widen. "What?"

There's a flash, and Tyki's body suddenly becomes a blur.

I feel a draft as my mind scrambles.

Then Daisya screams.

I turn my head the slightest to my right to see Tyki standing directly beside me, before Daisya, with his hand stuck through his chest.

My fellow Exorcist gasps, blood spewing from his lips as Tyki flicks his arm and throws him into a wall, with his arm still plunged between his ribs.

I hear a crunch, and Daisya lets out a choking scream.

I look to see Tyki is closing his fist inside his chest, squeezing it like an overripe fruit, although no blood is pouring from the supposed wound.

"Daisya!" I turn towards them, a flicker of Blood rippling from under my sleeve.

Tyki's arm flies out; I don't feel a thing, and then I feel everything.

I fall to the ground, a gasp escapes my lips as I shatter against the cobblestones, gripping my conspicuously broken shoulder blade.

Tyki glances down at me before turning back to Daisya, twisting his arm further, drilling it deeper into his body. Daisya screams as blood pours from his lips, flowing in reverse through his upside down position.

Daisya…

My fault. All my fault.

Charity Bell falls from his grasp and rolls lazily against the cobblestones. Tyki stops it with his foot.

With a smirk, he steps down, and the metal shatters. There's a flash, and the Innocence within the ball crumbles to dust.

A fire erupts in my chest. I throw my head back against the ground and scream.

Tyki jerks towards me, staring down with a look of bemusement.

I scramble backwards, screaming again as my Blood explodes from my body, the tentacles moving without thought or purpose, certainly none of my own.

I'm writhing, unable to control my body. My Blood shrieks in my ears, desperate, frantic, frightened.

"Did you _feel_ that?" Tyki inquires curiously as I twist against the cold ground.

My eyes flicker to him, and my rage flares. I gain control momentarily as I propel myself forward, Blood streaking towards him without a direct purpose in mind.

Tyki vanishes again. My mind scrambles, but I can't react fast enough as he reappears behind me, grasping the back of my skull before slamming me face first against the street.

I gasp as burning Blood explodes between my face and the cobblestones. My lips shred and my nose splinters. I choke as I struggle to breath.

I roll over, kicking my legs uselessly as my Blood flicks about weakly. Tyki catches my ankles, slamming each one against the stone road.

I wince, my eyes squeezing shut as I feel my ankles break simultaneously. My blood thrashes about, but can't seem to find focus.

Tyki gazes down at it curiously. "That's very interesting. Where's that coming from?"

He moves forward, straddling my pelvis, pressing me to the ground and pinning my useless legs under him as he catches my wrists, folding them into one fist while the other hand slowly moves down the front of cloak.

I scream and twist, desperate and hot, screeching obscenities in both German and English as Blood spews from my nose and mouth.

"Is it in your clothes?"

His hand suddenly slips between my seams.

How? How is this possible.

His fingers are like that of a ghost's, but tangible upon my burning body: cold and slender as they trail along my torso though the layers of my cloak and blazar.

I gasp and jerk, feeling the sensation of each touch burning my insides as his fingers travel up my neck and then down along my pant leg.

Bare, naked, naked beneath my clothes.

Through them...Through them his gloved hands are touching me.

I scream again, no longer coherent words, I spew out Blood and blubbering sounds as I continue to thrash and writhe, trying to throw him off, but his grip is like a vice.

"No. It's not in your clothes."

Then his hands go deeper. I choke on a yell as his fingers pass under my skin, along, over, under, deeper, further.

His hands, hands like little legs, tiny insect feet scurrying along, feeling them against my hot pulsing body.

Inside me.

Stop it! Stop it!

"You're struggling quite admirably," Tyki remarks as though commenting on the weather, "You put up much more of a fight than your friend there." He cocks his head towards Daisya.

Brushing, tender touches, caressing the deepest parts of me. The bone, the organs, the hot Blood as it burns.

I can't even scream.

Hot, burning, cold hands, soft, too soft.

Please, stop it!

I throw my head back and just keep screaming, my limbs are burning, his hand are like ice, rubbing against my insides.

My core twists as I writhe.

Please…Stop!

Tyki cocks his head to the side as he looks as me. "You know Cas, there are been many encounters with Exorcists and Noah over the centuries of this war. Some of them have fought a Noah, some of them have even killed a Noah. But never, in all the years of this conflict has an Exorcist ever stolen a _kiss_ form one. Consider yourself lucky. And of course, I had to repay you for such an instance." He leans closer and whispers in my ear, "The things I would think of doing to you kept me up at night."

I'm hyperventilating; my breaths coming out in short whimpers as my chest heaves.

"Shhh," Tyki speaks with a dark tenderness as he gently rubs the side of my face, brushing away some of the drying blood. "It'll all be over soon."

"G-Go to h-hell," I curse myself for my trembling voice, but my lungs feel like they're tied into knots.

I can't think. I can't breathe. I look up at Tyki's dark face, those brilliant golden eye so like my own.

I want to cry. I want to cry so bad.

I feel like something's creeping up inside me, that I can't get away from.

Tyki slowly slides off me as his hands pull out of my body. Even though I'm free, I find I can't move.

I'm limp and useless as a rag doll on the ground.

Tyki's soft, slender hand grasps around my throat, pulling me off the ground and leaving me dangling. I choke, convulsing as his fist crushes my windpipe.

Seconds later, Tyki slams me against the wall, stunning me blind as lights explode in front of my eyes.

His hand falls from my neck, and I almost drop to the ground, but he catches me at the wrist, leaving me dangling like a shirt on a clothesline.

I choke, shaking my head as Blood dribbles down my chin. I faintly hear the creak of metal being bent before realizing that Tyki has taken hold of the telephone wires, pulling them from their holds.

There's a slice through my arm, no blood but there's burning. Burning and shattering and like a bullet stopping halfway through ripping someone apart.

Embedded, the wire is embedded inside the bone of my wrist. I convulse, my chest heaving as I struggle to breath. It's blinding, its deafening. I can't see. My Blood is screaming. My heart is burning.

Tyki does the other arm.

I feel numb all over as I drop where I hang, like a prize kill mounted on the wall by a poacher.

Tyki chuckles as he grasps my chin, tilting my head upwards so I can look him in the eye.  
"No tears? That's surprising."

I spit in his face. He slaps me.

I jerk my head to the side, but don't react otherwise.

Tyki then steps from me and swiftly turns around, crossing back to the other side of the street. There are shadows at the edge of my vision as I slowly lift my head to see the Noah stringing Daisya up by his ankles, ripping the wire through his legs and suspending him.

Like Peter and Christ we are crucified against the walls of Barcelona, in the shadow of _La Sagrada Familia_.

That feeling continues, creeping up my arms and legs, pooling in the pit of my stomach. Fear…? Is it fear? A fear so intense, it makes me cold and then numb.

Tyki studies Daisya, trailing his now bloodied gloves across his chest, caressing the silver badge.

"J-Just do it." I hear Daisya's voice, despite how quiet he is.

I want to scream and yell and beat everything. Rip myself and Tyki both to pieces if that's what it takes to save my friend.

But I can't.

I'm trapped inside my own body.

"Giving up already?" Tyki clicks his tongue.

"Just hurry up and get it over with."

"N-No!" My voice is raw and it burns as I yell. "Tyki, please! Leave him alone."

He ignores me as he holds up his palm and a large black butterfly unfurls in his hand.

I choke out a gasp of shock. Blood spraying the cobblestones.

The terror, pounding inside me, thunderous like a heart that won't beat.

Tyki holds the butterfly aloft as it rises from his hand and alights on Daisya's chest.

"Any last words?"

Daisya actually smiles. "At least I was never bored."

Tyki pushes the butterfly through Daisya's chest; it passes through like smoke. Daisya's body jerks once, and then goes still, hanging limp and lifeless.

I feel the life slowly draining away, slipping away in my mental grasp like grains of sand between my fingers.

I see a glimpse of a beach behind my eyes; its water like jewels shining against the walls of a shop with a bell hanging over the door. A family inside: parents and siblings.

I scream. It's all I can do is scream. I yell and beat my head against the wall behind me, straining against the wires buried so deeply inside my bones, they probably will never come out again.

I'm yelling, screaming, crying, begging. My eyes are wet with Blood, and I don't even know what I'm saying.

Life is slipping, slowly being devoured, carried away on tiny black wings as that creeping feeling continues crawling up my body.

Tyki approaches me, grinning with his shark-like teeth.

And I realize what it is.

What's coming.

Death.

I'm going to die.

It stops me cold, and I slowly go numb, falling, retracting, diminishing back. Shrinking into myself as the fear takes hold and its breathtakingly painful even if it doesn't leave any kind of sting upon my physical body.

I don't have a heart to hammer.

My Blood pounds in my head as Tyki reaches out towards me.

A moment of clarity, like the eye of a storm.

I'm suddenly calm, and in that moment, find the strength to speak, slowly, quietly.

The words that leave me come from a place so deep inside me, I might have forgotten it existed.

"I'm sorry."

Tyki freezes. I faintly see his face through the blurred edges of my eyes; his gold eyes are wide with shock.

"What did you say?"

"I said I'm sorry," I gasp, Blood spraying from my lips. "Y-You didn't choose this. I know that. I know that you didn't want this. You didn't want to be a Noah," I'm scrambling, each numbered breath ripping through my chest, "And I'm sorry, Tyki; I'm so sorry."

I look at him, and the initial surprise quickly melts away, replaced only with rage.

He slams his hand against my neck, cutting off my words as I shudder, my insides constricting as air tangles in my throat.  
Tyki leans in close, his voice black and venomous. "I _like_ being this way."

"I know you do," I somehow find the strength to speak despite his hand inhibiting me, "And I'm sorry."

He rears back, and his eyes meet mine.

He clenches his jaw. "Don't look at me with those eyes."

He then steps back, and a strange white, weightlessness blooms in the pit of my stomach.

I can't not be afraid.

I'm so afraid.

Tyki opens his palms and two black butterflies erupt from each hand. He extends his fingers and they drift towards me.

Time seems to stretch as my vision tunnels, narrowing on the two black insects lilting towards me on soft, velvety wings.

Soft like Tyki's fingers.

They drift inside me. I barely feel it; it's as soft as a whisper.

"I'll leave you to my Tease. Goodbye, Cas."

I close my eyes, my head falling back. The stone is cold against me.

I feel rotten, rotten to the core, and the butterflies inside me, crawling, twisting, wings brushing, teeth gnashing, gasping, chewing, crunching, munching.

My organs are swallowed within each other. I jerk, straining the wires inside me, ripping the bone, splintering as my organs are devoured. It's like hunger and being sick, vomiting and swallowing at the same time, and so wrong all at once.

My eyes are glassy, my vision grey, lit by the moon.

Things fall apart, like a wilting flower.

A lotus flower, swallowed into black mud.

Die.

I'm dying.

It's like falling asleep.

Slowly.

Then all at once.

"Allen," I gasp, my head falling forward as everything drops away, and I can't feel a thing. "I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: Cas/Tyki (Cyki?) is the problematic ship. Obviously. And right, uh, should probably mention something: Cas, as it has been established, has a slight empathic connection to Noah as well as Innocence, so she's somewhat 'affected' by the Noah of Pleasure. Okay, more than just 'somewhat'. Also, she's attracted to Tyki already. Or at least, she was.  
And she paid the price for it.  
But hey, Cas does have a lot of empathy, even in the face of her enemies and it spared her Innocence, at least for the time being. I hope you all enjoyed this double feature earlier in the week, and yes, I will be updating on Thursday as well. Stay tuned until then. Allen's back in the next chapter!


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Back already as I promised for the regular Thursday update:)  
Also, I don't know if it's necessary but there is a girl/girl kiss in this chapter, but I suppose if that bothered anyone, they wouldn't have read this far. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys.

* * *

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: nuuu... such an early end to the great brotp of CasDai... -curls up into a ball- I need fluff to sooth my soul...

A: I know right! It really pained me to do this, and I remember how torn up I was over Daisya's death in canon too! Well, Allen shows up in this chapter so I hope that makes you feel better.

From: TitanofStone  
Q: Damn man, and here I thought I am quite proficient at torturing characters. You topped me XD Anyways, been reading this story since the start, not sure why I just started faving this now. But eh. Whatsoever  
"I'm sorry" to Tyki seem like something I'd do, too. No matter who you are, gettin' erased by the Memories looks bad :o  
Will be waitin' for next chaps with great interest! :)  
\\[T]/ praise the sun!

A: Yeah, there's a reason my friends called me the Queen of Angst…*nervous laugh. Well, I'm glad you've been sticking with this story since the start and I'm happy you've faved! I hope you enjoy future updates  
And yes, Cas's emotions are both her greatest strengths and her greatest weaknesses, and as you will see, that moment of sympathy, and maybe even pity will complicate Tyki's emotions towards her (even more so than they already are)

From: WaruWaru  
Q: I'm a simple woman. Tyki appears, I curse. What can I say? The man, albeit hot as hell, has put me through more stress than any finals. Ah, I'm traumatized. If it weren't midnight, I would have plain out screamed at Cas. I mean... what are the odds for a fucking salt miner to just pop up in an Akuma-infested city while wearing party clothes and just be casually strolling about!? ...the charms of Iberic men *sighs* And the stress-ball just decides that it's a great idea to try making out with my lovely Cas all of the sudden! Goshthe nerve! Oh snap. I just remembered Tyki is the Noah of pleasure... Poor Cas, she was tricked T.T  
Her reaction to discovering the truth was on point, tho XD Note: I wrote this as I was reading~ God... this chapter was INTENSE... Thanks god I'm ridiculously tired today; I probably wouldn't be able to sleep if I wasn't .Waru (apologising for whatever sleepy mumbo-jumbo this review is)

A: Your reviews bring me so much happiness, you have no idea! I understand what you mean about Tyki, the amount of screaming I was doing during a certain scene in a bamboo forest left my poor brother thinking there was something really wrong with me. Yeah, Cas wasn't really thinking with her head here, was she? Well, it's an interesting dynamic to say the least; most of the time, Cas is the one leaving other people a blushing mess (like Allen, for instance) but it's the opposite with Tyki. 'The charms of Iberic men', good Lord, I died! Yeah, that scene in the alley went places, sometimes I just let the story write itself, and I remember looking back at it afterwards and being like 'oh, people are going to be pissed!' but it left with a lot more weight for Cas to carry into future chapters. After all, Daisya's death is relatively her fault. And she realizes her mistake a little too late. Cas/Tyki's relationships is a complicated one, influenced by the differences in Tyki's light/dark sides and well, the instances of their circumstances. You'll see more of what I'm talking about later on. I'm rambling a bit, aren't I?  
Anyways, yeah, Cas has an amusing way of emoting anger, doesn't she? Don't worry, your review was perfectly coherent and easy to read. I hope you enjoy reading more!:)

* * *

Chapter 30: Coffin of Silence

* * *

 _I don't think I've ever run this fast in my life._

 _No sooner had our train pulled into the station, Lenalee and I had received a call from Komui saying there was a massive Akuma attack in Barcelona._

 _We couldn't get there by train, so we had to take a carriage; it tore through the coastal landscape at a breakneck speed._

 _At the moment, we'd reached the beach; I can see the shadowed shapes of the walled city in the grey light of early dawn. It's barely 5 am._

 _My heart is pounding. Cas is in that city._

 _And right now, it's horribly quiet._

 _"_ _Allen." Lenalee stops short on the edge of the rocky shore, gazing out across the steel grey waters._

 _"_ _What is it?" My question is answered as I draw up beside her to see that the sea surrounding the city is full of Akuma carcasses. The water is stained black with their poison blood, rippling across the surface like oil. Their huge bodies, bloated with water drift about like pieces of a shipwreck. It's a tangled mess amidst the waves, hardly any space for water in between._

 _"_ _H-How many do you think...?" Lenalee trails off._

 _"_ _A hundred, maybe two," I reply grimly._

 _"_ _It's so quiet."_

 _"_ _We should keep moving."_

 _"_ _Right."_

 _We sprint the rest of the way along the uneven ground of the beach, the rocks are slippery and hurt my feet, but I hardly notice._

 _We reach the gates, and I spy a flash of black and white._

 _My heart leaps for a second, before we draw closer, and I see there's blue paired with it instead of red._

 _"_ _Kanda!" Lenalee calls as we approach._

 _He turns from the Finder he's talking to. The other man looks a mess: there's grime all of his face, blood is soaking his hair and the edges of his beige coat, and his face is wide and pale._

 _Kanda mutters something to him before turning to us, and the Finder hurries back through the city gates._

 _"_ _What's going on?" I ask._

 _"_ _You're late," is Kanda's only response._

 _"_ _We came as fast as we could!" Lenalee insists. "We'd only just heard about the attack a few hours ago."_

 _"_ _Where's Cas?" I suddenly blurt without thinking._

 _Kanda looks at me, and there's something in his eyes that makes me feel like the world turns a somersault.  
"Her golem went dark about three hours ago. I sent Daisya to her quadrant of the city to check on her. We haven't heard back from either of them."_

 _Lenalee gasps. "What?"_

 _I don't answer. My knees buckle; I feel dizzy._

 _"_ _We're currently searching the city," a voice I don't recognize. I glance up to see a tall, black man with clouded grey eyes standing behind Kanda. "It's slow going…There are a lot of causalities."_

 _"_ _We'll help!" Lenalee exclaims._

 _"_ _Yes," I agree, struggling to get the words out. I'm finding it hard to breath._

 _"_ _Might as well," Kanda grumbles. "It's about time you make yourselves useful."_

 _I ignore his quip as I rush past him, Lenalee at my heels._

 _The city of Barcelona unfolds around me, vast and overwhelming._

 _I run blindly through the streets, ignoring Lenalee shouting in my wake. I don't hear anything but the sound of my blood pumping in my skull and my feet slapping against the cobblestones._

 _I pass houses half falling down, others nothing but rubble; there are huge, Akuma-shaped holes along the streets and in the sides of buildings. People are stumbling about in the morning light, dazed from the sleepless night of noise and fire._

 _It only makes me run faster._

 _Cas. Where is Cas?_

 _"_ _Allen!" I feel Lenalee snag my hood, and I'm jerked back. I stumble forward under the inertia, bending at the waist. My lungs are burning as I grasp my knees, my shoulders heaving._

 _"_ _W-We have to-to find-," I gasp, struggling to regain my breath._

 _"_ _And we will," Lenalee exclaims, "But we can't just run blind. We have to have a plan."_

 _I look up at her. Her eyes are wide and calm, and I'm envious of her pragmatism._

 _"_ _Y-You're right," I finally say._

 _Lenalee smiles slightly, but there are cracks at the edges like she's just barely holding it together._

 _That other Exorcist with Kanda said that there had been a lot of causalities. I close my eyes and exhale._

 _"_ _Look." I reopen them to see that Lenalee is pointing just ahead of us where there's a large square with a fountain. It gurgles faintly as I see beyond it that the roads branch off in two directions.  
"How about I go down the left and you the right?" She offers, "We'll meet back here in about twenty minutes. Sound good?"_

 _"_ _Yeah," I reply quietly before hurrying down the street she'd indicated. The road is narrow and uneven; I stumble as the shadows of the partially destroyed building press in around._

 _I turn a corner and stop dead when I see some small, black object lying in the middle of the road. Cautiously, I approach and upon further inspection, find it's the charred remains of a golem._

 _The wings are wilted like wet paper and the eye is dark.  
"Is this…?" I grasp the creature between my fingers, feeling the soot roll against my palms as I turn it around in my hands._

 _I inspect my finger and realize that the black substance is actually remnants of Akuma blood._

 _What had happened here?_

 _I feel weak, but I keep moving, now clutching the golem tightly in my grip._

 _I skirt around a corner, splashing through a puddle from a busted pipe, spewing its contents across the street. I knock the freezing water aside, holding up my sleeve as the droplets spray around me._

 _When I can see clearly, I pivot into a side alley between two storehouses._

 _I stop dead._

 _Blood._

 _There's a river of blood gently trickling between the crevices of the cobblestone street; it seeps down from a building across the street, stretching, reaching outward like long, scarlet fingers._

 _I follow it with my eyes, dragging my gaze harder and harder the farther I go until I finally look up and find its source._

 _My heart stands still in my chest._

 _Cas's body is hanging from what appears to be telephone wires. Blood is spewing from her wrists, trickling down the rough brick of the wall. She's stretched out flat against it like Christ on his cross. Her head droops against her chest, her long crimson hair draped in front of her eyes._

 _Behind her, there's a current of Blood splattered across the wall; it's soaking through her clothes, blotchy patches from multiple wounds thickening with each passing second._

 _She's not moving._

 _SPLASH!_

 _The golem falls from my grasp, crashing into the puddle of Blood._

 _"_ _CAS! NO!" Is about all I can say before my words devolve into screams. I'm staggering across the street, stumbling, barely able to run, and my legs finally give way as I drop to my knees before her form, gripping the folds of her now black and red cloak. I clench them tightly, shaking them weakly, desperately, prostrating myself as I beg God, beg her, screaming her name and shaking her._

 _"_ _Get back!" I barely hear Kanda as he snags my shoulder and yanks me backward._

 _"_ _N-NO!" I scream, tightening my grip as he tries to pry me from her. "N-No! Cas! No, no, no, no!" My words bleed into each other, like Cas's Blood against the stone as Kanda rips me from the ends of her cloak._

 _"_ _Allen." Lenalee's arms encircle me. I'm shrieking and screaming, and I feel like everything's falling apart around me, like Cas's Blood is burning more and more of the world away with each drop that falls from her body._

 _"_ _She's alive, but barely," I hear Kanda whisper to the big Exorcist. "We have to be quick."_

 _There's a flash of blue steel as he unsheathes Mugen and runs it neatly above Cas's head. Her hands are cut at the wrists. Blood splatters the stone as the other Exorcist slowly lowers Cas to the ground._

 _Her head drops deeply in his grasp as she gently falls into the puddle, her Blood pooling around_

 _I'm shaking, my body trembling like I'm cold. My stomach heaves, and I feel hot and like I'm about to vomit._

 _I think Lenalee is whispering something in my ear as she continues to hold me, but I don't hear what it is._

 _"_ _Hold her down, Marie," Kanda says to the other Exorcist, "No matter what she does, remember she can take it."_

 _I realize too late what's happening as the big Exorcist, Marie, presses down on Cas's legs and what remains of her arms and Kanda rips open her coat, snapping some of the silver buttons. He then tears the front from her suit and holds Mugen above her now bare stomach._

 _Cas screams._

 _Her eyes snap open, unseeing and flooded with pain as she convulses against the stone._

 _Kanda grits his teeth, eyes cold with concentration, Blood spraying his cheeks as he drags his sword through Cas's torso._

 _Cas continues to yell and scream, her cries gurgling at the edges as Blood dribbles down her chin. Her body is shaking in Marie's grip as Kanda digs Mugen in deeper._

 _Cas throws her head back, slamming it against the ground as she wails in pure agony._

 _It's sickening. I squeeze my eye shut but tears leak through as I cover my ears with my hands._

 _"_ _Got it," Kanda finally says quietly. His hand dives into the cut he's made in Cas's side and pulls something back out._

 _Cas is still gasping and moaning, the agony ripe in her wordless voice. Her chest is heaving, soaked deeply with Blood that is also dripping down the front of Kanda's jacket as he slowly stands up, swiping his Weapon through the air, shaking the fluid off._

 _My fingers are trembling, falling limp at my sides._

 _"_ _Is that all of them?"_

 _"_ _Yeah. Just two. One was eating her liver, the other her kidneys."_

 _"_ _Did they disappear?"_

 _"_ _In a puff of smoke just like the others."_

 _I'm vaguely aware of Kanda striding past me and Lenalee before I hear Marie yell._

 _"_ _I need a stretcher over here!"_

 _Two tired looking Finders appear a second later, they drop down amidst the red waters and gently lift Cas's mangled body onto the mobile cot, pressing their reddening fingers against her weeping torso._

 _She's fallen silent, still as a corpse, like before when she was hanging._

 _"_ _Daisya's over here," I hear Kanda call. There's a tone in his voice I didn't expect, slight but still there._

 _"_ _It's too late for him," Marie declares. "He's been dead for at least two hours. Cut him down."_

 _Faintly, I hear the sheen of Kanda's Mugen and then something heavy fall to the ground._

 _Two more Finders approach the crumpled body._

 _I'm reeling, everything's spinning. I fall from Lenalee's arms, on trembling hands and knees._

 _"_ _A-Allen…?"_

 _I crawl forward a few paces. The world heaves, and I vomit all over the sidewalk._

 _"_ _Allen!"_

 _Lenalee hurries over to me as my heaves turn into sobs. I choke, griping the sides of my head. I hurt all over, each scream from Cas felt like Kanda was dragging Mugen through me as well._

 _"_ _I-I thought I just walked in on her corpse," I gasp, shaking my head, "I've never heard her scream-Oh God!" The tears flow thickly down my face as the rest of my words are drowned in my cries._

 _"_ _I know. It was a shock," Lenalee's voice is so quiet, and there's a slight tremor in it as she places a hand on my shoulder, "But she's alive. She'll be alright; this is Cas we're talking about."_

 _"_ _A-An Akuma couldn't have done this," I set my jaw as I seethe, snarling through the tears running down my cheeks. "It had to have been a Noah."_

 _Lenalee inhales sharply. "A Noah? You mean like Road in the Rewinding Town?"_

 _"_ _Yes." With some difficulty, I manage to get to my feet.  
My insides are aching, like I've been electrically shocked. "Come on. Let's comb the city for any more survivors."_

 _"_ _Allen, wait." Lenalee stops me as I turn to go. "Let me take care of that."_

 _"_ _Lenalee..."_

 _"_ _I want to do this," she falters, her fingers closing around the folds of my sleeve as tears pool in her eyes. "The Finders are a part of the Order, and the Order is my family. You should," she looks up at me. "You should go be with Cas."_

 _I'm momentarily taken aback, but relent after a moment._

 _"_ _Alright."_

* * *

 _The sea is so blue, it's almost shining, like dozens of azure gems are embedded in its rolling surface._

 _The wind is cool against my burning cheeks, rubbed raw from crying. I wipe my eyes as I slowly descend along the sandy path towards the docks._

 _There are huge chunks of them missing, and the wood is rickety under my boots._

 _I stop dead as I reach the edge of the pier, my heart changing places with my stomach. All along the docks there is a solemn line of white pine coffins: still, silent boxes with still bodies inside them, souls silenced forever._

 _Cas was almost in one of those._

 _I stop those thoughts before they can surface fully. I can't think about that._

 _I spy a Finder I recognized; he had accompanied Lavi, Bookman and me when we'd taken Krory on his first assignment. The leader of his group was a man named Devon; he'd come with us too. He'd been so kind, and he'd been an excellent cook._

 _"_ _Allen," the man's face is so heavy as he comes up to me._

 _"_ _Is Devon around?"_

 _He doesn't answer, just turns to one of the coffins, just another wooden box_

 _My shoulders sag, I feel so heavy. I can't handle this weight. I want to collapse and cry._

 _So many lives…So many lives I was too late to save._

 _I remember Cas's words while we were in Liverpool:  
_ What is the point of having healing abilities if I can't save anyone?

 _I felt the same way. This eye is a gift as much as a curse._

 _And it carries a terrible weight._

 _Cas…_

 _I look and see Kanda at the edge of the pier. He's crouched over the water, scrubbing the Blood out of his coat._

 _He doesn't look up as I approach him. "Where's Cas?"_

 _"_ _Down there." He answers without turning around, gesturing down onto the beach where a small collection of simple white tents is gathered, tending to the injured._

 _There aren't as many as I'd liked._

 _"_ _Third one on the left," Kanda adds, clenching his teeth in frustration. "How does she get this stuff out?!"_

 _"_ _Thanks," I call quietly before turning and jumping off the side of the dock.  
I alight on the sand and weave my way through the tattered collection of tents._

 _Some of the Finders with medical training are hurriedly moving about between them; I can hear someone moaning from inside one of them, another brings the sound of tears._

 _If Cas were beside me instead of lying in one of these tents, she'd probably talk about how much blood she smells in the air._

 _She told me once that Akuma blood smells rotten._

 _Everything is rotten._

 _I haven't seen her in nearly three months. It feels like it's been years._

 _This is not the reunion I'd anticipated._

 _I move between the tents in a kind of daze. I finally spy a Finder sitting on a crate outside one of the structures. He's head is heavily bandaged, covering one of his eyes._

 _"_ _Excuse me," I step over to him. "I'm looking for Cas Williams."_

 _He glances up at me, his single visible eye full of pain before silently pointing to the tent across the way._

 _I nod in thanks before I hurry over to it. I pull back the curtains, instantly stepping into the darkened space._

 _I note Cas's distinct silhouette lying on a cot in the corner before my eyes have fully adjusted to the darkness._

 _She's resting on her back; her shirt's off and her entire torso is covered in bandages, some of them are already starting to pink. I spy her clothes as a pile of Bloody tatters in the corner, the largest of which is her emaciated cloak.  
Cas's arms are draped at her sides, twin stumps layered over and over with so many bandages, the ends bulge at twice the size her hand actually were.  
There's wrappings around her knees and gauze folded over her nose, probably broken.  
There's a slight crease on her brow, like something on the edge of her mind is still bothering her, even in a state of unconsciousness._

 _Overwhelmed, I cross the tent and fall to my knees beside her bed, feeling fresh tears brimming in the corners of my eyes.  
"Oh, Cas," my voice is hoarse as I look down at her still form. I remove my coat and drape it across her bare torso; her chest rises and falls faintly, unevenly. I look at her, stricken.  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should have been here. I should have-" I choke, clapping a hand over my mouth as tears spill across my fingers. _

_Tenderly, I reach down with my other hand and gently brush a loose strand of her red hair from her forehead, revealing a large purple bruise._

 _I'd always loved Cas's hair. I can't think of a more perfect shade; it's so striking and vibrant and so undeniably hers._

 _Even though I'd compared it to Cross's when first meeting her, there's something in the way she carried herself that made it her own, everything she is, unlike anything I'd ever encountered.  
She's entirely unique._

 _Cas's brows knit together. I wonder if she's having a bad dream._

 _I grit my teeth._

 _Which Noah did this to her? Was it Road?  
Whoever it was, they're going to pay for this. I'll rip apart their body piece by piece with my Innocence arm. I don't care if they're human or not. They hurt my Cas, and they'll pay for every drop of her Blood they spilled._

 _I close my eyes, feeling the anger burning inside me.  
I remember something else Cas said to me once.  
We were on our way back from Mater. I'd only known her for about a week then._

Love is a wonderful thing, but it can also be horrible. It's something you'll want to die for; it's something you'll want to kill for.

 _My thoughts soften as I open my eyes, trailing my hand almost absentmindedly through her loose red strands.  
After a moment, I slowly lean down and press my forehead against hers, feeling her hot brow against my own. I stay like that for a while as though hoping my thoughts might flow into her, might reach into her mind and pull her back from the cusp of the abyss._

 _"_ _I love you, Cas." My voice is less than a whisper, like a thought personified. "I love you so much. Please, please come back to me."_

 _I bring my head further down, and my lips brush the spot next to her mouth, her skin soft beneath them._

 _I then flop on my side next to Cas's still head, curling up against her so that our shoulders brush the barest amount. I drape my arm between us, touching the tip of Cas's stump with the end of my finger, having the smallest amount of closeness beside her fragile form._

 _I hear her breathing. I close my eyes._

* * *

There are layers to pain.

Like there are layers to Hell.

Pain is hell.

Because neither can be escaped.

A body submerged. The wind ripping at their flesh like hundreds of tiny hands, clawing, tearing.

The first layer

The first death.

Bodies falling into the ankle deep water, desperate to reach into that cold liquid and soothe the rawness of my cheeks, the blistering in my palms.

I'm dragged down into the waters, so cold it burns, dunked deeply as my lungs flood. I beat at the insides of my own flesh, screaming in desperation.

The second layer

The second death

Icicles form on the edges of my mind as my insides vibrate.

Colder...

Weight, weight upon me, upon my arms and my chest and my legs, crushing me, my insides turning to jelly, sloshing around inside my skin.

The third layer

The third death

Green pieces, like flecks of bone, drifting in splintered fragments

As the water runs red.

God, help me.

The water churns in my throat, there's fire in my lungs. Hot and cold

Turmoil in fire, in ice.

Hell is in your head.

Daisya's grabbing my arms and screaming at me, pulling me down into the darkness, into the black waters, turning red as he bleeds.

The black butterflies swarm us.

I want to pull back. I want to pull away.

But I'm tired. I look at him.

He's crying.

I want to cry.

I'm so tired.

Maybe…don't fight.

The fourth layer

The fourth death

My bodies burning, a dying candle burns brightest.

There's smoke and I choke.

I writhe inside myself.

Unable to escape this melting corpse.

The fifth layer

The fifth death.

The water is so red.

Like birth, like death.

Which is the opposite of death?

Birth?

Life?

What are these things?

Death is slow, Birth fast.

Both are so sudden.

I didn't think I'd die today.

But I don't suppose anyone expects to die any day.

The sixth layer

The sixth death

Sugar mixing with salty blood.

No more deaths, no more green pieces flying away in the wind.

Perhaps this is where I'll stop.

But I keep falling.

Sliding down the drain.

Down into the dark depths, the black caves with their walls slick with blood.

Who am I kidding?

There's one more death.

Mine.

The seventh layer.

Let me keep falling.

Let me die twice

I deserve it.

I deserve this pain.

The eighth layer.

As much as I fear it.

As much as I hate it.

I'd love to go numb.

And I hate myself for it.

Yes, the icy fingers encircle me, a cold embrace.

Like Tyki's in the alley.

Golden eyes that freeze my soul.

The ninth layer.

The frost covers me, the frigid waves pound with their silent ripples, trapped in blue time.

The Cocytus where the traitors go.

I come to rest, trapped in the black mud in the river's belly.

I curl up in the still, silent darkness as the ice submerges me.

I turn from the white light above me, from the fiery rain pouring around me.

This is it.

This is where I'll stay.

I'm not coming back up.

Oh, frozen waters. Take me.

Claim my soul.

I'm ready.

A crack splinters through my perfect darkness. I jerk my head, snarling at the intrusion as a hand plunges into the frozen waters.

A small, white hand, like a porcelain doll.

It grasps my own, and I'm fascinated.

I stare at it, eyes wide, as a strength from somewhere just out of my reach pulls me through the frozen waters.

I break the ice in ripples of frost, it stains my skin, settling in my hair as I flop over the rim of the cracks in the hard surface.

My cheek burns as I press against the ice, my chest heaving.

"I've got you, Cas."

That voice…

I look up, my hair is stiff with icicles glinting at the tips. I shove it aside as I sit up.

They part like curtains to reveal a light so bright I'm almost blinded.

A face: round cheeks, big brown eyes, honey brown hair swept up in a bun.

Lips, soft like rose petals.

Everything falls away, the cold water running off my body.

I'm suddenly so warm.

"Emma."

She smiles. "Hello, Cas."

I rush into her, my arms flying around her small body, crushing her against my cold, hard chest as I laugh and sob simultaneously.

Oh take me sweet embrace of death in your cold hands.

"Oh no you don't!" Emma shoves me away.

I give a cry of surprise as I slide back on the sleek ice.  
"Emma?" My voice reflects my hurt as I gape at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" Emma demands, crossing her arms. Her cheeks are red, like she's blushing; they do that when she's angry.

"I-Um." I'm stammering like an idiot. She always made me do that.

Emma's expression softens. She sighs, and it escapes her lips in a wisp of white smoke.  
"Don't get me wrong. I'm happy to see you, Cas, but what in God's name do you think you're doing."

I cock my head to the side. "Dying. Or haven't you been paying attention?"

Emma snorts. "Well, _that_ hasn't changed?"

"What do you mean?" I demand, suddenly defensive.

"The sarcasm, Cassy. Is it really necessary?"

"Don't call me Cassy!"

Emma chuckles at my outburst, thumping me in the chest.  
"Cassandra Williams, my firecracker."

I look at her, instantly sobering.  
"You're right. I am a firecracker. Sooner or later, I'm going to explode and everyone I know and love is going to get burned. Like you…Like Daisya."

I hiccup, my words tangling in my chest.

"Hey, don't fall apart just yet," Emma chides, grasping my chin as she leans in closer. "Do you wanna hear an amazing secret?"

"Umm…"

"You're not dead. Not yet. If you don't want to be."

"I…" My face instantly falls. "Wait. So then…this isn't really happening? You're not…here?" I trail off.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Of course I'm here, silly!" she exclaims, pulling me to my feet as she stands as well. "I never left."

I look down at her dumbfounded.

"Don't feel like you need to be such in a hurry to get to me again. I'm safe here. It's warm; there's peace. You've always promised to protect me, and you have."

"No! I-" My voice breaks. "I killed you!"

"And I don't blame you for it. I love you, Cas. You're my last. The center of my world, and I hold you above all things in my heart."

She then places a hand on my chest. "I marked you, but then I sent you out into the world. I didn't die so you could join me. I did, so that you wouldn't."

"But I want to!" I blurt. "I want to be with you. I can't. I can't do this anymore, Emma. I can't do what needs to be done. I'm not strong enough. I'm too broken. I'm too fucked up!"

Emma smiles as she grasps the sides of my face, pushing herself up on her toes so as to be eyelevel.  
"You cannot save everyone, Cas Williams. What we can do in this world is simply love, that is something that will never fail. You love me. I love you. That will never change, but you, Cas, you must change. Because you must grow."

"I can't," I feel the ghost of tears against the back of my eyes, "I can't go on, Emma. I'm too scared."

"Then take that fear," Emma leans in, "And turn it into strength!"

She then kisses me fully on the lips. I collapse against her, my arms encircling her body, gripping her waist, trailing through the loose strands of her hair. She tastes as I remember, like honey and sunrises, and its familiar and perfect, and I wish it could last forever.

I'm fourteen again, and there's a light in my chest so bright it's like a personal sun.

"The fight's not over, Cas, but do not despair. You are never alone. Rose."

I exhale softly. "Rose."

* * *

 _"_ _Allen..?"_

 _My eyes flutter open. I turn my head, my vision slightly hazy to see Lenalee is standing over me._

 _"_ _Oh, Lena-" I'm cut off as I yawn, stretching my stiff arms. "What time is it?"_

 _"_ _After six pm."_

 _I spy Kanda by the door of the tent._

 _I remember Cas lying beside me, and my cheeks flare up with sudden embarrassment._

 _Kanda crosses his arms, leaning against the side of the tent.  
"So, she still hasn't woken up?"_

 _At his words, Cas suddenly shifts beside me._

 _I turn towards her just as her eyes snap open. She screams, sitting bolt upright as she jerks her body, flailing blindly as she whips her head from side to side._

 _"_ _Cas! Cas, it's okay. It's okay!" I exclaim, grabbing at the stumps of her arms, trying to pull her back from this manic state._

 _She looks at me, but her gaze is unfocused as though she's not really seeing me._

 _She blinks. "A-Allen?"_

 _Her voice sounds so small and so fragile. It breaks my heart into a million pieces._

 _Her face breaks, red and raw and a sob escapes her lips as she rips herself from, curling up in a ball, tightly gripping her insides.  
"Hands. Hands. Hands," she whispers, rocking herself slightly, "Hands. Fingers. Inside me. Like Insects. Chewing. Chewing on my insides." She grips the side of her head, shaking her head vigorously. "Daisya!" She screams. And then Cas does something startling as her words slur into one another: she starts babbling in German, like a frightened toddler. _

_"_ _Cas," I scoot a little closer to her, placing a hand on her trembling shoulder. She shakes me off, her head snapping up, her eyes burning._

 _A trail of blood leaks from the left one._

 _"_ _Where is he?" She's on her feet in a second, wiping the red from her eyes as she turns to face Kanda. I see more red rippling under the bandages around her waist. "Where is Daisya?"_

 _Kanda's expression remains impassive as he steps to the side of the tent. "On the docks."_

 _Cas is out of the tent in a flash, and I have to run to keep up._

 _"_ _Cas! Wait!" I call, but she ignores me as she stalks along the beach, my coat still draped over her shoulders._

 _I follow her up onto the docks, their rickety wood weighed down by the dozens of coffins lining the perimeter._

 _Cas freezes, whatever it was that had been pushing her forward instantly evaporating._

 _I stop dead behind her, unsure of what to do._

 _I'd just worked up the nerve to say something when she starts walking again, trailing along the line of silent coffins._

 _Lenalee comes up behind me; I cast her a helpless glance before following._

 _Cas silently moves along the row of coffins, so many nameless boxes, so many covered faces._

 _Finally, she stops. There's a lone box at the edge of the pier with a black and white coat draped over it._

 _Cas folds in an instant, falling to her knees like a puppet with cut strings.  
She claps what's left of her hand over her mouth as she bends at the waist, pressing her head to the rough, unfeeling wood as a loud sob escapes her lips.  
She's shaking, and a part of me wants to run to her, but I hold back._

 _Cas starts whispering, so softly I don't hear her at first through her bandaged stump tightly clenched around her mouth. She's speaking German, so I can't understand, but I don't suppose I'm meant to._

 _I feel like an intruder standing with Lenalee amongst the white coffins._

 _I look at Cas, her dry sobs alongside the slurred German as she curls up into herself, hugging her Bleeding middle with her other arm.  
She looks so frail; I'm revisited by that frightened little girl I'd met on the train to Waterende.  
I stand there, feeling helpless and foolish._

 _There are certain things about Cas that I want to understand, but am I afraid I never will._

 _She looks up at Daisya's coffin, Blood seeping from her eyes, and there's shame. Such a deep shame in her golden eyes, and it startles me._

 _She presses her head against the cool pine of the coffin and whispers something that catches me off guard. It's not a word, not in German or English, but more of a sound, a sound that comes from deep within Cas, and I remember hearing her utter once before as she knelt in the dirt amidst the ashes of Emma's home._

 _I wonder in that moment if Cas's heart can talk._

 _She then abruptly stands up and silently walks over towards the edge of the dock, standing just on the edge so the tips of her toes are hanging over the water. The wind whips her hair and the ends of my coat still draped around her shoulders._

 _Something tells me it's alright to go to her now, something important._

 _I silently skirt around Daisya's coffin and go to stand at her shoulder, staring up at her as she looks out at the waves._

 _A question is poised on my tongue, but she speaks before I can fully form it._

 _"_ _I'm done."_

 _I blink. "What?"_

 _"_ _I said I'm done." Cas turns and looks at me with her molten gold eyes. "I can't do this anymore. I don't_ deserve _to do this anymore." She then turns away from the water and steps a few paces back up the dock._

 _I whirl around after her. "Cas, what are you saying?'_

 _She stops, not turning around. "What I'm saying, Allen Walker, is that I'm done being an Exorcist."_

 _I do a double take. Over Cas's shoulder, I see my shock reflected in Lenalee's face._

 _"_ _Why in God's name would you say something like that?" I exclaim as I rush ahead, stepping in front of Cas as I look up at her, my silver eyes burning into her gold ones. I clench my fists as Cas momentarily averts her gaze before it snaps back towards me. She clenches her teeth._

 _"_ _Because I mean it! God damnit! I didn't become an Exorcist because I was a_ good person _like you. I did it to distract myself from my depression and self-mutilation! It was a selfish reason." She smacks her ribs so hard a spurt of Blood blooms behind the bandage. "Someone else should have been born with this rock in their chest. Not me. I don't deserve it. I don't want it! It would have been so much easier!"_

 _I look up at Cas, at the defeat in her eyes._

 _And I'm furious._

 _But this isn't like the blinding rage from before._

 _This rage comes from a place so pure and so deep._

 _My movements are unfocused as I suddenly slam my hand into her chest. Cas gasps in surprise, falling backwards on her ass on the dock._

 _She gawks up at me, shocked._

 _I don't care as I clench my fists, seething down at her.  
"How dare you!" I yell, my voice growing shrill, heightened by the intensity of what I'm feeling. "How dare you say something like that? After everything you've been through, after everything you've accomplished, and you're just going to give up! That's weak, Cas! That's weak, and cowardly, and that's not something you would do!"_

 _I'm screaming down at her, but I don't care as Cas hangs her head, her red hair sliding to hide her face._

 _"_ _All we have is what we're given," I continue, stamping my foot, "And we can only move forward. We mustn't stop, not for an instant. We must always keep walking. If you don't, you're worse off than dead!" I yell, my voice peaking. I clench my teeth, breathing heavily as I continue to glare down at her._

 _Cas doesn't raise her head, so I can't see her face. She slowly shakes her head as a small noise escapes her lips._

 _Then she starts laughing._

 _It begins quietly, but soon it's a full blown roar as she throws her head back, giggling hysterically._

 _My anger evaporates almost immediately. Has she lost her mind?_

 _Cas finally looks at me, and her expression instantly sobers.  
"This world doesn't deserve you, Allen Walker_. I _don't deserve you."_

 _I growl in the back of my throat. "Your constant sense of self-loathing is making me sick." I spat, my voice venomous. "It's unjustified. You're good for this world, and this world is good for you. I wish you'd only see that! For God's sake, Cas Williams!"_

 _Cas chuckles, which is infuriating, returning her gaze back to the glistening ocean. Her laughter unfolds into a long, deep sigh after a moment.  
"People say life is short. They're wrong. It's long. Too long. There's too much time to think about things." She looks back at me, her gold eyes gleaming from the light off the sea. "Before I met you, before I joined the Order, I didn't feel…" She pauses, taking a deep breath, "Anything, and a lot of people got hurt and a lot of people died because of it."  
She slowly shifts to her feet, getting back up to stand over me again, "But it was easier, it was so much easier than this…"  
Cas sets her jaw, squeezing her eyes shut. "This pain. But this pain is," Cas gasps, struggling to take a deep breath through her gritted teeth, "Good. I need to feel no matter how much it hurts because it reminds me of what I need to do and of what I can never go back to."_

 _Cas looks down at her stumped hands, they're ruddy at the edges, but she doesn't seem fazed by them.  
"These old hands didn't do much, so I suppose if there's any solace in all this, I have the opportunity to use new ones."_

 _My expression softens as I look at her. She glances up at me and raises an eyebrow, looking me up and down.  
"What the hell was that?"_

 _I smile slightly. "Tough love."_

 _Cas snorts as she lowers her hands, tossing her head so her hair falls behind her shoulder.  
"I'll try, Allen. I can't promise you more than that right now, but I'll try my damn hardest."_

 _I smirk at this, satisfied. "You fucking better."_

 _Cas's mouth falls open. "What did you just say?"_

 _I'm instantly self-conscious. "What? You say it all the time!"_

 _"_ _Well, yeah, but that's_ me _! You saying it's…weird. It's like Lenalee wearing pants or Kanda being in a good mood."_

 _"_ _That's not nice, Cas."_

 _"_ _It's true! Tell me I'm wrong."_

 _I hug her, suddenly and without warning. Cas stiffens as I crush her against me, resting my head in the crook of her shoulder.  
"You're not wrong. Remember that."_

 _I'm not talking about Lenalee or Kanda in that moment, I'm talking about her. She understands that as she relaxes, softening under my grip._

 _After a moment, she steps away._

 _I look up to see she's gazing at something over my shoulder._

 _I turn around, following her eyes, passed a startled Lenalee to see there's a man standing beside Daisya's coffin.  
He has a rough face like leather, but the grey eyes within it are soft and kind amidst the wrinkles and scruff. Said face is framed by an absurd mess of thick grey curls, matching a bushy moustache._

 _He's carrying a pack full of rolled up papers, the straps of which rest around the folds of a familiar black and gold coat._

 _A General's coat._

 _The man presses a hand to the top of Daisya's coffin. I see there are tears quietly running down his rough cheeks. After a moment, he reaches into his pack and pulls out a drawing. He unfolds it, and I catch a glimpse of a sketch of some small coastal town. The man uncaps a lighter and holds the flame up to the paper._

 _It instantly catches, and the paper smolders as he holds it aloft, bathing it in the beams of the setting sun as it crumbles to ash in her fingers._

 _As he casts the remains of the drawing into the wind, Cas steps over to him._

 _"_ _You're General Tiedoll, aren't you?"_

 _The man looks up, and his weepy eyes widen. "But you look just like-!" He catches himself, his expression softens, "You're Audrey's granddaughter, aren't you?"_

 _Cas nods, shifting uncomfortably. "She said you were close."_

 _"_ _We were. She's a wonderful woman."_

 _Cas's eyes trail to the coffin beside them. "Daisya-He said that you trained him and Kanda."_

 _General Tiedoll nods, more tears leaking from his eyes. "The poor boy! Daisya deserves better than that." He sniffs loudly, wiping his nose and soggy moustache. "May he rest in peace."_

 _"_ _Ruhe in Frieden," Cas echoes in German._

 _I see the shame return in her eyes. She can't look at the General as her hand absentmindedly goes up to cover a strange red bruise on her neck I hadn't noticed before._

 _I move to stand beside Lenalee. She's hanging her head, her green bangs falling in front of her eyes, but I can tell there are tears in them._

 _I touch her shoulder._

 _She looks up at me, and a silent conversation passes between us._

 _"_ _General," My attention turns to Kanda and Marie as they approach us._

 _"_ _Kanda. Marie," the General greets his other pupils solemnly. "I was just paying my respects."_

 _Kanda looks at the coffin, and there's that slight expression again that looks so alien on his face.  
"Daisya's body is being shipped to the Order tomorrow," he finally says to Tiedoll, "Marie and I are escorting him. We would be honored if you would accompany us."_

 _Tiedoll gazes at Daisya's coffin sadly before answering. "I'm afraid I can't come with you. I'm a General of the Order, and a general can't walk off the battlefield in the middle of a war. Besides, it's my duty to find and train new Exorcists; if God hasn't already given up on us, we should be on the lookout in case he sends new apostles to join us."_

 _Kanda sighs, thumping Marie in the chest.  
"I told you he'd say something like that," he hisses._

 _Marie chuckles. "Some people never change."_

 _"_ _Then General," Kanda adds, "We're coming with you." As he speaks, he draws Mugen and holds it out as a gesture of loyalty._

 _Cas takes about four steps back when she sees it, which is completely understandable._

 _"_ _The enemy may try to target you and the Innocence you carry. It is our job to protect you at all costs."_

 _The General smiles at Kanda, his eyes still slightly wet. He then turns to Cas, "And what will you do, Cas Williams?"_

 _She looks at me, and smiles, much to my surprise. "I'd love to come, but I have another General to find, and friends to fight alongside. That is," she turns to Lenalee and me. "If you'll have me."_

 _I knock her in the chest, beaming. "Of course."_

 _Lenalee smiles slightly. "It's good to have you back, Cas."_

 _I then notice the General looking at me. "You're Allen Walker, aren't you? General Cross's apprentice"_

 _"_ _Uh, yes, sir. I am."_

 _"_ _Well, I wish you the best of luck," he says to me just as Timcampy takes flight from my shoulder and alights on the General's hand, "There have been four Generals attacked so far, and it's safe to say who the Earl's next target is."_

 _I nod in understanding, "My Master."_

 _The General gives me a hard look. "Then you must find him before the enemy does. The battle may be over, but the far is far from it. Do you understand?"_

 _Lenalee and I nod._

 _"_ _Yes, sir."_

 _"_ _Yes, General."_

 _Tiedoll shakes his head. "But I don't suppose he'll be very happy about suddenly have three Exorcist bodyguards."_

 _Cas snorts, crossing her arms. "Tough shit."_

 _"_ _But General Cross doesn't have to worry about it because we don't have any clue where he is," I add._

 _Tiedoll chuckles. "Well, that won't be too hard. I thought everyone knew about this; within Timcampy and every golem, is a special feature that allows it to trace the location of the person that created it."_

 _My eyebrows shoot up into my hairline. "Say what?! Are you serious?"_

 _Cas groans dramatically. "Fucking hell, I wish we'd known about that four months ago!"_

 _Tiedoll chuckles as he holds up Timcampy, still resting in his palm.  
"Well then, Tim; why don't you show us where the General is?"_

 _A second later, Timcampy unfurls his tiny wings and lifts from the General's hand to drift above all our heads. His tiny spherical body hovers out towards the waters, pointing across the glistening sea, stained orange in the setting sun at our backs._

 _"_ _It looks like he's facing east," Lenalee remarks._

 _"_ _Nothing's gained by dwelling on lost battles," the General, "The war against the Millennium Earl is just beginning, and there's a new journey ahead for you."_

 _I nod. "Yes, sir."_

 _"_ _Right," Lenalee agrees._

 _"_ _Well," Cas thumps her hand stumps together, "I suppose we should probably get going then. 'East' is a big place, they'll be a lot of 'General-sized' hiding spots."_

 _I snort. "I suppose you're right."_

 _"_ _We should be off as well," Tiedoll declares, turning to Kanda and Marie, "There is work to be done."_

 _Kanda dips his head in acknowledgement._

 _"_ _Whatever you say, sir," Marie agrees._

 _I hold up my hand. "Come on, Timcampy. Show us how to get across the sea." I call to my golem, and he flits down to land on the back of my hand. "I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for your help," I add to the General._

 _Tiedoll smiles. "Just doing my job; you kids be careful."_

 _"_ _We will, and we'll see you again soon," Lenalee proclaims._

 _"_ _Goodbye, General Tiedoll. It was nice meeting you. I'd shake your hand, but um." Cas smiles sheepishly, holding out her stumps.  
The General then gives her a crushing bear hug, which I think weirded out Cas a little bit, but it was still nice to see._

 _"_ _I need to go get my suitcase," she then says to me, "I left it on the beach."_

 _As she moves back down the docks, she holds out her handless arm to Marie, who touches it lightly with his large, calloused fingers. She then hugs Kanda around the chest, which shocked all of us; what's even more surprising is when he doesn't throw her off. He doesn't hug her back, but it's enough already that he's letting her touch him._

 _"_ _See ya, Boy Toy. You take care of yourself."_

 _"_ _Fine."_

 _Cas giggles, lightly flicking him in the nose before turning to Lenalee and me._

 _"_ _Let's go. I've got a suitcase to find."_

 _"_ _Alright, I'm coming," I let Timcampy fly off my hand to bob in the sky above our heads as I turn to give on last wave to General Tiedoll, Kanda, and Marie as they head in the opposite direction towards the ships loading the coffins._

 _We drop down into the sand and head off down the beach, around the lines of medical tents as they begin to pack up._

 _Lenalee drifts a little behind Cas and me, not saying much._

 _She still seems a little shook up._

 _I leave her be for the moment as I walk along the shore, the water lapping at my ankles with Cas at my side again._

 _The way it should be._

 _"_ _By the way, Allen."_

 _"_ _What?"_

 _"_ _Before I left Liverpool, there was something you wanted to tell me. What was it?"_

 _I feel my cheeks redden. "Uh, oh nothing. It was nothing!" I hurriedly stammer._

 _Cas gives me a funny look, but it eventually softens. "Alright if you say so, just don't forget you can tell me anything, Allen." She says as she throws her arm around my shoulders and squeezes me against her. "You know that right?"_

 _I smile. "Of course."_

 _I'll tell you someday Cas, when you're ready._

 _When we both are._

* * *

A/N: This chapter was probably one of the hardest to write. Not only is there a drug-induced dream sequence about hell and lesbian kisses, but then we have Allen and Cas in-I don't want say role reversal- but in some ways it kinda is. Allen speaks Cas's language in this instance; he's tough on her but it comes from a place of tenderness and it's what she needs to snap her out of it, and put her anger and fear to better use.  
Also, no, Allen did not see Cas's dream. He just fell asleep at the same time it was going on.  
Anyways, I was super happy to finally have Emma 'in' the story. It's a strange thing because although she's a crucial aspect of Cas's character and has shaped who she is as a person, she's kinda more of an idea rather than a character so I was happy to finally have her and Cas interact so we can see the chemistry between them and their quirky little relationship.  
Yes, 'Rose' means something. Cas will explain what in the next chapter.  
Well, I hope my efforts weren't in vain, please let me know what you think:)


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Early again. I don't suppose anyone will complain, but I've got a paper due next week so Thursday's going to be dedicated to that. Anyways, enjoy:)

* * *

From: TitanOfStone

Q: Gotta love the dream sequence, hehe. Even my OC-in-writing has that, although mine's a little less bloodied that Ishida-sensei (you know, Tokyo Ghoul). Love it overall! Nice change of pace, and oh how Allen scrambled on the ground when he saw Cas - love it! :)  
Keep doing the good torturing scenes! I'm counting on ya!  
Praise the sun! \\[T]/

A: Yeah, the dream sequence was fun, most of all because of finally being able to write Emma and Cas properly interacting. You write OCs too? That's awesome!  
Thanks so much for the compliments and I'll be sure to craft some bloody scenes just for you;)

From: AmericaNidiot

Q: oh good. I hoped Rose would be explained... my pure (no he isn't, but still pure to me) bottomless pit of a beansprout, how you help sooth my soul even when you bring more pain...

A: Yeah, 'Rose' has too explanations: the simpler and less spoiler-y of the two is going to be brought up in this chapter.  
Aww, I'm happy Allen managed to make you feel better. It felt so good to have them back together again, and you'll be happy to know that, as we enter the Lulu Bell Arc, these next few chapters are going to be wrought with Callen fluff:)

From: KijoKuroi

Q: oh God, poor Cas. I'm glad Allen was there to get through to her. I'm also really glad he's realized she's not ready to hear his confession, as sweet as it is. I'm very not happy with Tykki. Also i'm nervous because you definitely implied that she is on his list. Which means more dark-tykki. And not fun. Also, I've decided a certain someone is definitely Cas's father. Cause the reactions and then immediate knowing of who she is is just too much to be a coincidence. Thank you for the chapters by the way! I enjoyed them, even when I was panicking (like when Tykki appeared). :)

A: Yeah, we're holding out on that one for a while yet. Well, I suppose it would only make sense that Tyki have both Allen and Cas; the Earl would give them both to the same person considering they're almost always together. Yep, more dark Tyki, and here's something interesting for you: it does seem pretty apparent that Tyki left Cas with a chance to live. He didn't destroy her Innocence, after all. There's going to be a next time!  
Yes, a lot of people have pointed out that Cas looks like someone: Allen, Komui, Yeegar, Barba and Mother, and now Tiedoll. Most readers have picked up on this, but there's something that happens in the Ark Arc that will pretty much sway anyone that still isn't entirely convinced  
I'm glad you enjoyed the chapters and I'm sorry Tyki made you panic;)

* * *

Chapter 31: Rose of Restless Souls

* * *

My feet hurt.

So do my hands.

And just about everything else for that matter.

It's been about a week and a half since Allen, Lenalee and I left Spain and set out to follow Timcampy East towards the location of General Cross.

The further east we go, the more annoying this is becoming.

I mean, we're already in Bulgaria; a few more hundred miles and we'll be out of Europe entirely.

The last few days have been a bit of a drag, least of all because no one really knows what to talk about after what went down in Barcelona.

Lenalee's been dismally quiet, and Alllen's been a worrying mess ever since he caught me violently throwing up into the sink of our hotel the first night of our trip. I had been pretty embarrassed about it; I took one look at my scars and tossed my dinner.

They are pretty impressive though; Kanda carved out a good chunk of my torso, so now there's a jagged line running down from the center of my ribcage and wrapping around my left hip and another running horizontally across my belly button and then curving down across the right side of my pelvis.

Goodbye two-piece bathing suits.

On the plus side, my hands have grown back; it took longer than usual, but I suppose I'd had more than a little of a trying experience. After having literally been sliced to pieces, there was a lot my Blood had a lot to repair.

This is probably also why I've had a hard time functioning with these new hands these last couple of days; I couldn't move my fingers for the first few, and I had to go through a bit of physical therapy. Allen was a lifesaver in this department; he'd had to rehabilitate his own left arm while traveling with Cross as it used to be paralyzed when he was young. He knew a bunch of tricks to help regain mobility: card playing for one.

He'd kicked my ass in poker.

I looked down at my hands, flexing my fingers experimentally; I still can't make a fist, but there's been progress.

"Ah-Oomf!"  
I glance up in time to see Allen doing an impressive face plant into the rough stone of the plateau he, Lenalee, and I are following Timcampy across.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" Lenalee asks.

"Yeah. I just took a bad step."

"Maybe you were following Timcampy a little _too_ closely," I surmise.

Allen snorts as he picks himself, dusting off his clothes. "Yeah, probably."

I turn my gaze to the little golden golem bobbing in the air above our heads; his body still unwaveringly pointing east.  
"How much further do you suppose we have to go?" I ask aloud.

"Much longer than I'd hoped," Allen grumbles, massaging his forehead.

"Do you suppose Cross isn't even in Europe at all?" Lenalee wonders. "Perhaps he's in Asia somewhere instead, even further east."

"It's looks to be that way," Allen agrees.

"Then let's get moving," I declare. "If we stay in one spot for much longer, I might keel over."

We make our way along the slope, downwards from the plateau; it opens up into a wide valley that seems to stretch out to the very edge of the horizon.

I stop dead along the path, my breath catching in my throat. Every square inch of grass before us is covered in brilliant red roses. They're blanketing the entire plain in a carpet of every shade of red one could imagine

It's breathtaking.

"Amazing," Allen whispers from beside me

"It's beautiful," I agree.

"I've heard that this area is famous around the world for its rose fields," Lenalee explains.

"I'd believe it," I reply.

Beside me, Allen suddenly stiffens.

I jerk towards him just as the gears bloom across his left eye.

Seconds later, someone nearby screams loudly.

"Akuma!" I yell.

"It's over there," Allen takes off down the hill, Lenalee and I close behind him.

We sprint along the beaten path between the rose clusters until we reach a fork; at its center, a man collapses to his knees, his basket of thorny flowers spilling around him as two Level I Akuma leer down at him.

"Cas, get him out of the way!" Allen yells as his arm activates.

I nod, sliding the rest of the way down the uneven ground as throw myself around the shrieking and trembling man. My Blood wraps around us both, shielding him from the explosions as Allen's gun weapon rips through one of the Akuma, while Lenalee's Dark Boots kick the other to ashes.

As the explosions fade and the dust settles, I lean back from the man, who's looking up at me with a wide, pale face, accented with dark eyes and moustache. "Sir, are you okay?"

"I-Uh…Um," the man stammers, his gaze fixed behind my shoulder as I slowly retract my Blood.

"You're not injured, are you?" I continue, getting to my feet and holding out my hand.

After a second, he takes it, and I pull him to his feet.

"Are you two alright?" Allen calls as he and Lenalee rush over.

"Of course," I reply.

Allen then stoops to pick up his and my suitcases, having offered to carry the latter for me since I still can't hold the handle properly.

The man looks between us all, before quickly dropping his eyes and bending back down, scrambling as he attempts to gather up his fallen roses.

"Here," I kneel down to help him, but find it difficult to clasp the thin stems between my still slightly numbed fingers. "Damn," I curse as Lenalee and Allen get down to help also.

Once we'd refilled the basket, the man heaves it onto his head.  
"I was heading to Rose Valley in Kazanlak when I ran into two travelers, and before I knew it, we were talking. I asked them if they were going to the Rose Festival like myself when all of the sudden…" he trails off, a noticeable shiver passing over his body.

Lenalee steps over and places a hand on his shoulder. "Well, you're safe now."

The man nods slightly.

 _The Rose Festival…_ A wave of intense sadness suddenly washes over me, something I'm not prepared for. I instantly fold in on myself, hugging my arms. _If that's today then that means…_

Allen seems to notice the change in my mood-as he always does. "Excuse me, but what's the Rose Festival?" he then inquires of the man.

"It's the festival that starts today in Rose Valley not too far from here," the man explains, "I'll be there selling my own roses. Which reminds me," the man then reaches up into the basket balanced on his head and pulls out three flowers. He holds them out to us, "This is the least I can do to thank you three for saving my life back there."

"Thank you very much," Allen says as we each accept one.

Lenalee holds hers up to her nose, inhaling deeply. "I love that smell."

I look down at the brilliant red flower, a slight, sad smile forming on my lips. My finger pricks itself on one of the thorns, and a thin river of Blood trickles down my palm, staining the petals black.

* * *

We follow the man the rest of the way down the path until we reach the center of the valley and Kazanlak. The city is alive with activity; the streets are clogged with residents and tourists alike, a heavy buzz of sounds hovers over our heads from buyers and sellers crowding around the dozens of booths lining the main streets.

In the center, there's a large square where a humongous statue of a beautiful woman draped head to toe in yards of pink and red roses towers over the crowd.

Lenalee looks around in awe. "I never would have guessed there'd be so many people here."

"The Rose Festival is one of the most famous events in Bulgaria," I explain, "It celebrates beauty, springtime, and the famous Kazanlak rose. People come from all over to witness it; it's quite the celebration."

"You seem to know a lot about it," Allen remarks.

Before I can respond, Lenalee suddenly calls out ahead of us.  
"Lavi! Krory!"

I turn to see two black and white cloaked figures moving through the crowd; I instantly note Lavi's brilliant orange hair and Krory's pale, pointed face.

They turn towards us.  
"Hey!" the young Bookman calls, waving at us enthusiastically.

"What are you two doing here?" I inquire as they approach us.

"Komui sent the two of us to accompany you guys in finding General Cross," Krory explains, "After what happened in Spain, he thought a bit more protection for the General would be appropriate."

"Bit more for us too," Lavi adds, "Safety in numbers, right?" His expression suddenly turns sullen. "Listen. There's something we need to tell you guys."

I don't like the way the usually cheerful Lavi delivers this declaration, and hesitantly follow him and Krory back to the inn they'd rented for all of us, feeling like there's a rock in the pit of my stomach.

* * *

It's dusk by the time we reach the place; the sky is as red as the roses that line the streets. We gather in the boy's room; it's dark indoors, the setting sun casts heavy shadows along the walls.

They seem to darken as Lavi begins speaking.  
"What happened in Spain was part of coordinated assault in multiple locations. We'd only been able to piece this together after the fact, but aside from Barcelona, there were massive Akuma attacks in India, Pakistan, Prague, Russia, and France. The first two of those places were also the confirmed locations of Generals Klaud Nine and Winters Socalo."

I remember what Tiedoll had said to us before we'd left Spain: that all of the remaining Generals excluding the missing Cross had been confirmed to have been marked for attempted assassination.

"The six Exorcists sent to find these two Generals: Tina Spark, Gwen Flail, Sol Galen, Kazana Reed, Chakar Labon, and Suman Dark are all confirmed to have been killed," Lavi continues.

My stomach does a somersault. Lenalee gasps loudly, clapping a hand to her mouth as tears pool in her eyes. I lean forward in my seat, my hands curling around my torso as my scars ache.

"Aside from them, there were the Finders stationed in these areas and accompanying the Exorcists during the attack. Now that the dust has cleared, we can confirm a total of one hundred and forty-eight casualties," Lavi concludes quietly.

I feel sick. My body is scorched with a burning shame; despite the fact that I had been nowhere near nor did I have any idea of these Exorcists, I still feel a partially misplaced responsibility for their deaths. While they were giving their lives in battle, I was being a horny teenager and making out with a Noah in a back alley.

And I'd felt them. I'd felt all of them. Just like before, when Yeegar had been attacked and killed and the eight pieces of Innocence he'd been carrying had been shattered, I'd felt each and every one leave this world, blowing away like ashes in the wind.

Death six times over.

I want to break something, particularly myself.

Maybe slam my new hands into the wall until my knuckles are as flat and scarred as my old ones had been.

There's a heavy silence as Lavi finishes speaking. Krory is leaning against the wall, gripping his arms as his shoulders tremble like he's trying to hold back tears.

After a moment, Allen speaks softly. "So many gone in such a short amount of time."

Lavi nods gravely. "The chapel in the Order was full of coffins."

I remember the docks lined with white boxes outside Barcelona; that had only been a few dozen, I can't imagine seeing nearly two hundred of them.

"And then, they burned them in a mass cremation," the young Bookman continues, "This was all done without notifying their families, to protect them from becoming Akuma. That about sums up the current situation."

Lavi's apparent nonchalance is disconcerting, almost as much as how intensely I'm feeling right now.  
I don't even know what to do with myself; I'm flailing.

Allen shakes his head. "One hundred and forty-eight people."

 _At least I was never bored…_

Daisya…My hands are shaking, and I feel hot tears seep from my eyes. For a horrifying second, I think they're mine, but then I hear Lenalee sobbing quietly from her chair in the corner.

Lenalee's tears have poured from my eyes before; they're heavy and familiar, and always tinged red.

Allen looks over as the girl cries louder, burying her face in her hands.  
"Oh, Lenalee."

"They were all part of my family," her voice shakes before it collapses into louder sobs. Allen moves over and places a hand on his shoulder. He looks tired and sad and strangely older.

I wipe my eyes, leaning back against the shadowed wall behind my head, breathing heavily.  
It feels like everything's spinning.

After a moment, Lavi goes over to the balcony and opens the doors; the silence is instantly shattered by the hum of activity going on just outside as the evening celebrations of the Festival begin.

He leans against the iron bars, the wind ruffling his spikey hair.  
"You guys ready to go?" he calls back to us after a moment.

Allen, Lenalee and I all look to him in confusion. "Go where?" the former inquires.

"Rose Festival," the young Bookman replies as though it were obvious. "Come on. Let's get out of here; it's too stuffy in this hotel."

"I…" Allen's eyes flicker over to Lenalee and me, the former of whom has at least stopped crying and is now just staring solemnly at her hands folded in her lap.

"Allen. You've all had a hard time of it," Lavi insists, clapping him on the back, "And you can't just let all that fester inside of you. You'll rot. Besides," he moves past him and goes over to me. I look up at him in surprise. "We have a lot to celebrate."

"What do you mean?" Allen asks.

I shrink back in my seat as Lavi grins, holding out his hand to me.  
"Happy Birthday, Cassandra!"

Allen's jaw drops and even Lenalee looks up from her lap enough to give me a bewildered look.

"What? It's you're birthday, Cas?" Krory cries.

I drop my eyes. "June 5th right? Then I guess it is."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Allen asks.

"Why do you _think_ I didn't say anything," I snap back, clenching my teeth. "I only remembered this morning, and after everything that's happened, I just…" I trail off, unsure of where my words are headed.

"C'mon, Cassandra. Regardless, this is a big occasion, and it should be celebrated," Lavi insists, "Eighteen, right? Welcome to adulthood!"

I look up at him, oddly taken in by his enthusiasm.

"We should head out into the crowd, tear it up, live a little," Lavi exclaims, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet, "We should use these times when we're not fighting to remember what it is we're fighting for. And besides," he glances at Allen, "It's always good to keep an eye on things in places like this."

Allen nods in understanding. Akuma tend to fester in heavily populated areas. We all know that.

He then steps over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Lavi's right, Cas. We should celebrate this. I think it would be good for all of us."

I sigh, but a smile forms on my lips. "Alright, but let's not get crazy."

"Wahoo! It's party time!" Lavi yells, jumping up and down before he rushes over to Lenalee and pulls the startled girl to her feet. "Come on, there's a whole night of fun waiting for us."

He then sprints past me in a black, white and red blur, pulling Lenalee along with him.  
I look after them as Krory follows. "Why do I get the feeling I'm going to regret this?"

Allen chuckles before holding out his hand to me. "Shall we?"

I snort before accepting it. "Oh, alright."

* * *

I'll admit: I did have fun. Bulgarian food is actually really good, even if I had literally no idea what I am eating for most of my meal. It also couldn't be dampened by the burning embarrassment when Lavi ordered a red velvet cake and then lead everyone in a round of 'Happy Birthday'.

I banged my head down on the table, my face in flames.  
"You guys!"

"Hey, lighten up, would you?" Lavi exclaims, ruffling my hair as they finish the song, and the crowded restaurant bursts into applause.

I lift my head to catch Allen grinning at me across the table, and my expression softens.  
Now that the initial embarrassment has worn off, I find that I actually deeply appreciate the gesture. During my three years on my own, I hadn't celebrated my birthday even once. The day came and went three times over with barely a word from Hermenshire or a letter from my grandma about it.

The last person I'd properly celebrated this occasion with had been Emma.  
 _No, don't think about here…Not here. Not now._

I take a deep breath, "Thanks everyone."

"No problem," Lavi replies. "Now hurry up and blow out the candles before they light Krory's cloak on fire."

At his words, the faux-vampire quickly yanks his leagthy garment off the table.

I snicker before leaning forward and blowing the eighteen light flames out.

"Happy eighteenth birthday, Cas," Lenalee exclaims, smilling warmly. I'm happy she seems to be feeling a little better.

Allen holds up his fork. "Can we eat it now?"

After dinner, we wall the festival streets. The air is gold with dozens of glowing lights and candles; the roads are packed so full of people, we can barely move. It reminds me of the Saint Feast Days in Rome I'd seen photos of during Sunday school.

Music floats over our heads and there are more roses than I could have ever possibly imagined.

 _Oh, Emma. It's amazing._

The first thing I do is order a beer. "Here's to finally be of age!" I declare before tipping the pint's entire contents down my throat. Lavi gawks at me as do most other people in the surrounding vicinity.

As I wipe my mouth and set my empty mug down on the outdoor bar, I then notice that Allen is nowhere in sight.  
"Allen? Where's Allen?" I exclaim, whipping about me. The beginnings of panic forming in the pit of my stomach.

"It's alright, he'll be right back," Lenalee assures me, "He said he had to take care of something."

"Krory! What are you doing?"

I turn around in time to see Krory look up from a booth with a thick red fluid dripping down his chin.

"Ah!" Lavi screams as he jerks back. "Krory, you wouldn't-!"

"Their homemade rose jam is delicious," the faux-vampire exclaims as he holds up the small sample jar he'd been eating out of, "For some reason, it brings back memories for me."

"Me too," Lavi adds nervously.

I bust out laughing, rather fuzzy on whether it's my rising mood or the booze that causes it.

After this, Lenalee becomes preoccupied with a jewelry stand, and Lavi becomes preoccupied with the attractive woman running the jewelry stand.

Krory wanders over to a booth selling hand-bound books, saying something about them reminding him of the library in his old castle. I linger away from them, not really interested in either respect.

I find my way back in the main square where I'm surprised to see there's a gigantic sculpture made entirely of roses resting in the crowd's midst. Many people have gathered around it, picking out flowers while others put new one's in.

I spy a flash of white hair.

"Allen!" He looks up as I push through the throng to get to him. "Where'd you run off to?"

"Oh. Nowhere. Don't worry about it," he then holds out a flower to me, "Here. People write stuff on little pieces of paper and then roll them in the stems."

I take the rose from him, perplexed as I unfurl the tiny slip tied amidst the thorns.  
" _Drop by drop, a whole lake becomes_."

"What does that mean?" Allen asks.

I shrug. "I don't know. Sounds like a proverb; those things always go over my head."

"Ah." Allen then turns to the table before the sculpture where there are pens and dozens of blank papers. "We should write something on a flower."

"Alright." I stoop down and pluck two roses from the large basket at my feet. I hand one to Allen and then take my own flower, paper, and pen.

I already know what I'm going to write.

 _'_ _Turn fear into strength'-Emma G_

I smile slightly as I roll up the paper and tie it around the rose's stem.

"What'd you write?" I ask Allen as finishes with his.

" _If you lose sight of your path, listen for it in your heart_ ," he recites. "It's something Mana used to say."

I then read mine to him. "Emma told me that once."  
 _Not that long ago in a near-death-experience dream about hell_ , I add inwardly, not wanting to say that out loud. I smile slightly at the memory; nearly dying had never been more worth it then seeing her again.

"Cas, are you alright?" I blink, being jerked from my musings to see Allen looking at me in bewilderment. "You keep getting this sad look on your face ever since we've come here."

I sigh wistfully as I step closer to the rose structure, searching for an opening amidst the petals and thorns. Allen follows me, awaiting my answer.  
"This month, June: it's the month of the rose," I finally explain quietly, "That's why Kazanlak celebrates the flower during its first week. As my birth flower, the rose has been a bit of a motif in my life; after I was born, my grandmother started growing them in her garden; she'd plant more and more for every year I've been alive. As you saw, she got quite proficient at it. And Emma," I trail off for a moment, "Her birthday is in June too: mine's the fifth and hers the twenty-third. It was one of the things that initially connected us, both born in the month of the rose." I laugh slightly, "We used to call each other 'Rose'. It was like nickname, a code word, a comfort."  
I falter yet again, pausing to slide my rose into an empty notch in the structure. "Back then…before everything went so wrong, we used to talk about running away together, and we'd always say that this was the place we'd go first."  
I slowly retract my hand, leaving the bloom to become lost amidst the hundreds of others, "I guess it just feels weird to be here…without her."

Emma had been fresh in my mind ever since I'd woken up from that dream in Spain; her absence feeling rawer and realer than ever, like she'd been dead four days instead of nearly four years.

I'm startled when Allen steps closer to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Cas."

I watch him as he reaches out with his other arm and tucks his own flower in the notch directly next to mine; the two flowers fall together, each one holding the other in place.

It's oddly comforting.

I look down at Allen beside me; he's gazing up at the rose structure, but like he's not really seeing it.  
There's' a look in his eyes, a kind of gleam that makes me feel happy and sad simultaneously.  
"You remind me a lot of her. Did you know that?"

Allen looks up at me, surprised.

"Emma, I mean," I continue, "You both have such a profound passion for kindness. In my eyes, it's probably your most admirable quality."

"I…Thank you, Cas," Allen whispers, letting his arm slide down my back to grasp my wrist at my side. "That's quite the compliment."

I laugh slightly. "And you both do the chest thing."

Allen blinks. "The chest thing?"

"Yeah." I smirk as I turn towards him and lightly knock him in the ribs with my partially closed fist. "You thump me in the chest. Emma used to do that too. She would joke she was giving me a heartbeat."

Allen beams as he then performs the action on me as well. "Then I'm happy to carry on the tradition."

I chuckle at this before it sobers as I look down at him, gazing up at me with his white hair looking silver in the shining light of the festival, matching the glow in his grey eyes. In that moment, feeling his emotions burning in my Blood and the sense of his hand against my chest, he's the most beautiful person I've ever seen.

The notion startles me, but I don't let it linger as I then reach down and pull him into a hug. It's a role reversal as Allen stiffens in initial surprise, something I usually do when he embraces me in comfort. After a moment, he's hands wrap around my waist as I fist my fingers in his hair, pressing my mouth to the top of his head; he smells like dust and salt.

"You're my best friend, Allen Walker. Did you know that? And I can't think of anyone I'd rather be in this place with."

Allen pulls back from me, looking startled. It might have just been the glow of the festival, but his cheeks appear crimson.

After a moment, he recovers and reaches up to touch to the side of my face. "You're my best friend too, Cas Williams."

"Hey, you two! There you are." We both jump and spin around to see Lavi's long arm waving at us over the heads of the crowd. In that moment, everything seemed to have faded away, leaving only Allen, me and the roses. "Come on. You've got to see this!" the young Bookman continues.

We exchange a glance before hurrying over to him.

In the center of the square, at the base of the rose laden statue, a bunch of men and woman in brightly embroidered outfits are performing a traditional Bulgarian dance.  
It reminds me a little of Irish step dance as they skip and twirl about.

Allen and I stop next to Lavi, Lenalee, and Krory, who are all watching the performance.

It is pretty neat. I suppose one of the perks of traveling around the world fighting Akuma for the Order is that we get to experience so many cultures.

 _I finally made it to Bulgaria, Emma._

I'm happy.

After a time, the ethnic dance ends to a roaring applause from the crowd. The music then changes pace to something more contemporary. As the song continues, several couples melt out of the crowd and start spinning around the square space.

I watch them happily, particularly charmed by a boy and girl that looked to be no older than five or six whirling by me, laughing and giggling.

 _There's a lifelong love story right there._

"Do you want to dance?"

I jump, pulled from my thoughts as I turn to see Allen holding his hand out to me, smiling sweetly.

"I-Uh," I stammer, weirdly taken off guard. "Sure."

"Great." Allen beams as I take his hand and let him lead me out onto the makeshift dance floor.

"Um, the thing is, Allen," I start as he puts his other arm on my waist, "I don't really know how to 'girl' dance-shall we say? I've always been the 'man'."

Allen chuckles. "Don't worry. Just follow my lead."

I grimace, but relent as Allen guides me across the square, weaving us through the other couples as we dance and twirl about.

At one point, he moves his foot when I'm not expecting it, and I fall out of step, stomping on his toes.

"Sorry!" I exclaim, blushing furiously as he winces in pain.

"It's fine." He assures me before grasping my fingers and spinning me around. Startled, I'm thrown back against his chest; Allen smirks up at me. I realize my mouth is hanging open, and I quickly shut it.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?"

Allen shrugs. "Well, I was always moving through bars and clubs with Master. You pick it up after a while."

I chuckle. "You're just full of surprises."

"I try."

Out of the corner of my eye, I then spy something interesting.

"Hey, look at that," I nudge my head in the direction of Lavi, who is currently leading Lenalee around the dancefloor.

"Huh," Allen observes them thoughtfully.

"Interesting, isn't it?" I agree. "Hey, can I lead for a while?"

"Sure."

I then take command as we switch arms, and I find myself moving at a much quicker pace, now more confident as the music picks up in rhythm. Everyone in the square surges to match it, moving faster and faster to the point its almost dizzying.

It finally reaches a crescendo, and I accent it by abruptly dropping Allen into a dip. He gasps quietly as I drop him across my thigh, the tips of his hair skimming the ground as he gawks up at me.

I notice, oddly in that moment, how long Allen's eyelashes are, and I wonder offhandedly how they don't get tangled every time he blinks.

I lean in closer to him as the song plays its final bars so that our noses are almost touching.

A blush spreads across his cheeks as I whisper: "Got ya."

I pull him up as the audience erupts into applause, commending the musicians. They start another number, but Allen and I are a little out of breath from the first, so we make a quick exit before things really pick up.

I wander over to Lavi as Lenalee leaves, accompanying Krory as he sits on bench, stuffing his face with more rose jam.  
"Hey," I grin cheekily as I nudge him in the shoulder, tilting my head towards her, "Do I detect a spark?"

Lavi's face flames. "Shut up!" he cries, "You hypocrite. Between you and Allen, there's a little inferno."

Now it's my turn to blush. "It is not" I assert defensively.

"What are we talking about?" Allen wanders over before Lavi can respond; he's holding two cold drinks and hands one to me. "Here."

"Thanks," I quickly accept it and drain the glass in one go.

"By the way, Lavi; I've been meaning to ask you," Allen adds to the young Bookman, "How did you find out all that stuff you told us earlier? You and Krory didn't come straight from Headquarters all this way, did you?"

"It was amazing!" Krory exclaims as he and Lenalee walk over to us, "He used a series of golems and telephones at the same time and listened to the different reports from the Order and each unit."

I gape at Lavi. "You can take all that information at once?"

He snorts. "Who do you think you're talking to?"

"I don't see how that's possible," Allen agrees.

Lavi shrugs like it's no big deal. "Apparently it comes from a technique invented by an ancient prince in the Orient. The old panda gave me some heavy training on the subject."

"So I take it you have to learn that to a Bookman," I scoff. "What an annoying requirement."

"Speaking of, where is Bookman? You're usually together," Lenalee adds.

"Ah, he had some business to take care of, so he ran off on his own," Lavi replies dismissively. The last few words he speaks are nearly drowned out when a loud boom goes off over our heads.

I jump, my adrenaline flying to maximum almost immediately, fearing Akuma, but one look at the sky as the iridescent fireworks unfold before my eyes instantly softens me once more.

Everyone in the square freezes in their actions as the fireworks go off again and again: green, blue, red, yellow, and purple lights erupt and dance across the indigo sky: like a rainbow in nighttime.

"They're beautiful," Krory exclaims in awe.

"Gorgeous," Lenalee agrees.

I stare up at the fireworks as their lights erupt and recede with each round, their shadows flickering across our faces. Beside me, I feel Allen take my hand and squeeze it slightly as he whispers:

"Happy Birthday, Cas."

I smile, closing my eyes and breathing deeply. "Thanks."

* * *

I'm on a beach. The water is the brightest blue, sparkling in the pearly light of the sun high above my heads in the cloudless sky. The sand is warm under my feet as I race down the uneven dunes, stumbling slightly as I draw up short before the waters.

I look up towards the lapping waves, and my heart leaps when I see a familiar figure standing ath te water's edge.

"Daisya!" I call, joy singing in my ears as I sprint the rest of the way towards him.

He's standing with his back to me; his cloak is on, and his hood is pulled up.

"Hey, aren't you hot?" I ask, drawing up short in front of him. "Come on. Take that stuffy thing off and let's go for a swim. You said you wanted to." I reach for his hood, but he turns around before I can grab it.

I gasp, staggering back as a scream catches in my throat. Daisya's body is covered from head to toe in black butterflies, their wings ripple across his skin as they crawl all along his form, nibbling greedily on his flesh.

"Cas…" Daisya staggers towards me, holding out his hands as blackened blood dripples down his chin and rips from a wound in his chest, raw and heaving as it weeps fluid all across the speckled sand. "Cas…" his hands claw towards me as I stumble backwards, tripping over my own feet and falling to the ground.

"N-No!" I stammer as Daisya's clammy hands grasp at my collar, blood dripping from his eyes like scarlet tears, more and more of his skin disappearing, swallowed by the butterflies. "You didn't protect me, Cas. It's your fault!" His grip tightens as he starts yanking me towards the waters.

I yell and kick, writhing as I try to break free as the water seeps around me, ice cold and violent.

"Daisya! Daisya, please" I sob as I continue to break free. "I'm sorry, Daisya. I'm so sorry."

Then Daisya turns into Tyki, his skin black and his gold eyes glowing as he slams his hand against my throat, pinning me in the freezing waters. I gasp, fighting for breath as Tyki laughs down at me with his wide, toothy grin.

I struggle under his grip and then I scream.

* * *

And then I wake up.

I gasp as I sit up, choking forfecully. My throat feels raw, and I wonder if I was screaming in my sleep.

My good mood from earlier evaporates almost instantly, leaving a sour feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I close my eyes, trying to quell the feeling of my Blood roaring in my ears as my chest rises and falls arhythmically.

I cast my eyes around the darkened hotel room.

Lenalee is lying in the bed beside mine, her long green hair splayed across the brown pillows like moss growing on a tree trunk. She turns from me, muttering something incoherent in her sleep.

A breeze brushes across the folds of her comforter, traveling to mine next and sending a chill up my spine.

I sit up and see that the latch on the balcony doors has come loose, the double doors shudder in the wind, thumping together as another draft leaks through.

After a moment, I throw back my covers and clamber across the room, feeling an instant chill across my bare arms and legs as I go over to the doors and grasp the edges as I try to hold them shut.

However, I spy something out of the corner of my eyes that makes me pause. Allen is standing on the balcony next door to ours, the one that leads into the boys room where he, Lavi, and Krory are staying.

He's leaning against the edge of the railing, gazing out at the darkened city below, the festivities having long since quieted save for a few drunken stragglers. The chilly breeze, so uncommon for June weather, ruffles his disheveled white hair, exposing an alarmingly melancholic look in his deep grey eyes, completely different from his bright smile earlier that evening.

I'm about to say something; although I'm not exactly sure what when the door to the boy's room balcony suddenly opens and Lavi's steps out. Without his headband on, the Bookman's shaggy red hair hangs down almost to his shoulders, which is rather attractive.

He's still wearing that smirk as he approaches Allen, leaning against the railing next to him.

"Well, we didn't run into an Akuma today. What a relief," he begins offhandedly.

Allen doesn't respond; he doesn't even acknowledge him right away.

"Hey, Allen," Lavi nudges his shoulder, "What's eating ya?"

The other boy's shoulders slump, and I'm instantly overwhelmed with the urge to hug him.  
"It's nothing…It's just, I've devoted the last few years of my life to saving as many lives and souls as possible." He looks down at his left hand, which appears almost black in the darkness

I'm suddenly assaulted with a wave of memories, both Allen's and my own, mixing together into a soup within my brain:

When we first met: Jan begging us to destroy the Akuma his friend Leo had become, in order to save his soul and that of his mother.

Lala, the Ghost of Mater and the old man called Guzol who loved her.

A destroyer who saves.

My fingers tighten their grip on the doors.

Outside, Allen's left hand closes into a fist.  
"But then, there were so many lives I couldn't save, because I wasn't capable."

Narei and his sister Mina.

General Yeegar

Sarah and Richard in Liverpool

And then for me…

Emma and her family

Victorio, the Millennium Swordsman

Erich in Waterende

Sofia and Angela and all the people of Dankern village.

Daisya….

All those years, I'd been numb and apathetic. I didn't care about anything but finding something to do, to quiet the noise inside my head, to always have something to get my hands on, whether it be Akuma or Mortal flesh. Something to rip my Blood through, so I wouldn't rip it through myself.

Now, here I am, able to feel, able to feel so much and so intensely, and it's horrible and frightening and there are times that I wish I could go back, and that scares me even more.

"I wish I would have pushed myself more!" Allen's cry breaks me from my thoughts, "It's just so frustrating."

Lavi shakes his head. "Allen, pushing yourself more probably won't change anything. I mean, do you really think you can save _everyone_ all by yourself?

"This war against the Millennium Earl is a team effort, you know that."

I hadn't come into this new version of myself on my own, it had been through the experiences I'd shared with Kanda, and Lavi, and Krory, and Lenalee…and Allen.

The thing's he cherished, I'd come to hold close as well, in the depths of my cold, Innocence heart. I didn't just want to mindlessly kill. I wanted to feel something when I did, that there was meaning in my life and in the life I'd liberated. A destroyer who saves.

"Wouldn't you agree, Cassandra?"

I jump, smacking my head slightly against the edge of the door. I grumble to myself as I eventually push to the doors open and step out onto our own balcony next to Lavi and Allen's.

"Cas?" the latter looks at me in surprise. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough." I reply simply, "But Lavi's right, Allen. We're in this all together. That's why the Innocence splintered into all those pieces after all, so that this war could be fought in many ways and by many people, so that we'll never have to bear the weight alone."

Allen smiles at me, and it makes my stomach twist into knots when he looks at me like that. He then leans forward and reaches towards me. I do as well, stretching my arm out across the gap between the two balconies.

Our fingers brush the barest amount, connecting us.

The Destroyer of Time and the Creator of Space.

We, and everyone else, will win this war together.

Allen suddenly freezes, his eyes tearing from mine as gears appear around the left one.

"What's wrong?" Lavi demands.

"That man that just passed below us."

"An Akuma?" I surmise.

Allen nods.

"Well, you know what they say," I add, "Akuma like to attack crowds."

"Let's hurry then." I turn to see Lenalee appear on the balcony behind me, possibly awakened by our conversation. A green light consumes her as her Dark Boots are activated.

I nod, Blood erupting from my bare arms as Allen jumps down from the balcony and runs down the street after the man. Lenalee and I follow while Lavi rouses Krory, and then we all head back towards the square.

The lone Akuma breaks free of its skin as we press in around it, feeling cornered.

No sooner has it done this, that Allen's arm activates and he slices it in half.

"There's no way that was all of them," Lavi proclaims as the smoke clears.

"You're right," Allen turns in a circle where he stands, his left eye scanning the rooftops. "I can see them. They're still far away, but it looks like a good number are heading straight for this valley."

I grin, "Then let's go out and greet them, shall we?"

* * *

The sky is just starting to pink at the edges, seeping through the deep blue of night as we exit Kazanlak.  
The roses look weirdly purple in the half light. As we hurry over the crest of a hill, a shadow passes over the valley, and the horizon is soon full of the uneven shadows of dozens of Akuma.

Lavi hoists his Hammer onto his shoulder, "They're here."

Krory chuckles, baring his fangs. "Good, because we're ready for them."

The Akuma surge forward, quickened upon seeing us come to meet them.

"Innocence, activate. Grow! Grow! GROW!" Lavi yells as his Hammer expands. He swings it over his head and through a glowing red insignia. "Hellfire: Devouring Fire Stamp!"  
He slams his Weapon into the ground, and the air catches fire, roaring outwards as it consumes every Akuma within its path, tearing through them like a hungry animal.

Lenalee jumps into the air, spinning out of the poison bullet's reach as she kicks her legs out and a tornado of force blasts through her assailants, them in half.

Krory leaps through the crowd, tearing and slicing his shark-like teeth through every Akuma in his path, ripping their armored bodies apart and guzzling up their blackened insides.

Allen's claw stabs through the chest of a few creatures before he switches to gun form and fires a round through several more.

I move forward a few places as explosions and bits of Akuma rain down around me, hands in my pockets.

A few remaining monsters notice me; their leering faces twist into unpleasant smiles as they

I glance up, hardly able to conceal a grin.  
"Innocence, activate."

Blood erupts from my body in dozens of snappy, spindly tendrils. They surge out from me and each one impales itself through an Akuma: through their eyes and mouths and stomachs and chests. Black blood peppers the ground around me as I drill my Blood in deeper, and the Akuma shatter form the inside out, smoke and fire consuming my vision as they're disintegrated.

Lenalee sails over my head, cracking down her heavy boots into two Akuma's head.

I then feel Allen slide into me, so we're standing back to back in the middle of the horde.  
His eyes flicker to me as he holds his gun aloft. "You good?"

I chuckle, "Never better."

The Akuma then pounce on us. Allen pivots his body, firing bullet after bullet into all the Akuma arcing around him.

I hold out my arms as Blood ripples out from my bare arms, each one wrapping around and around the Akuma's bulbous bodies before finally crushing them to dust under the weight of my weapon.

Lavi knocks his Hammer through three lingering ones, and Krory tears his teeth through another.

He drops to the ground, breathing heavily as rotted Akuma blood dribbles down his chin.

Lavi whistles, hoisting his Hammer over his shoulder as he surveys the huge piles of shrapnel, still smoking heavily. "That was intense."

Beside me, Allen bows his head, closing his eyes.  
"Bring forth salvation to these tormented Akuma souls."

I bless myself. "Amen."

"We should probably get moving," Lavi calls to us, "The people in Kazanlak probably aren't too happy about all the noise we just made this early in the morning."

I chuckle. "You're probably right."

* * *

We hurry back to the hotel to change out of our pajamas and into street clothes. I'd opted for something a bit more casual than usual: black pants, a white-grey button down, a black leather zip-up collared vest, and a black scally cap. I throw my Exorcist cloak over the ensemble, fumbling with the buttons as my hands still aren't a hundred percent.

"Here. Lemme get that for you," Lavi offers. I relent and allow him to do the clasps as I glance around the little spot we're gathered in outside the hotel.

"Where's Allen? He has my suitcase."

Lenalee looks around in bemusement. "He said he'd be right back."

"I'm here." We all turn just as Allen rushes up the street. My periwinkle suitcase and his brown one are supported under one arm and there's a small, brown-wrapped parcel clutched tightly in his other hand.

"What you go there?" Lavi inquires as

Allen grins sheepishly. "I know it's a little late at this point, but here," he holds out the parcel to me, "Happy birthday."

My mouth falls open as I look from him, to the present, and back again. "Allen. You didn't have to…"

"I wanted to."

"Well, go ahead and open it," Lenalee urges.

I hesitate a moment longer before tearing off the simple wrapping paper and unfolding the white tissue inside. What falls out in my palm is a scarlet tie that's made of a shiny silk which gleams in the morning light. I stare down at it in astonishment.

"Turn it over," Allen instructs.

I do so. On the black underside of the tie is a little picture of Timcampy stitched into the corner in gold thread just above the letters CAW.

"I commissioned to have it personalized," Allen explains. "That's what I was doing last night."

I grin. "Oh, Allen. I love it!" I then gather him up in a crushing hug, causing him to drop both our suitcases as I lift him slightly off the ground.

As he hugs me back, I hear Lavi grumble something that sounds weirdly akin to 'just kiss, damnit', but I ignore him as I step away from Allen, still holding my new tie in my loose grasp.  
"Think you can tie it for me?"

"Sure." Allen then reaches forward, flips up my collar and then proceeds to pull the tie into place.

I smile as I tuck it under my vests where it rests against my chest, beside the Gothic cross Krory gave me and my still Innocence heart.

I touch the tie absentmindedly as the real Timcampy swoops over our heads; his tiny wings fluttering as though to create a sense of urgency as he bobs steadily toward the East.

"We should get going," Allen declares, stooping to pick up the fallen suitcases. "The sooner we find Master Cross, the sooner this will all be over."

"Well said Allen," Krory commends.

"We're right behind you," Lavi adds.

Allen, Krory, Lavi, Lenalee and I then head off down the main street that leads out of Kazanlak and back onto the main road out of Rose Valley. We would continue east with Timcampy as our guide and hopefully find General Cross soon.

I trail a little behind the others, fingering my new tie absentmindedly. It's rather astonishing; it's almost the exact same color as my hair.

I falter suddenly when a strange, hot feeling passes over my whole body. I pause mid-step, unsure of how to react. A strange tingle rises up my spine, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I jerk my head to the building behind us, squinting at the roof above our heads. In the grey light of early day, it's heavily shadowed, and yet..

Lenalee glances over her shoulder. "Cas? Are you coming?"

"I-Yeah! I'm coming," I quickly reply, turning back around and running to catch up with the others.

I don't say anything, but I could have almost sworn I saw someone watching us.

* * *

A/N: The FLUUUFFFFF! I figured it was justified after two long chapters of pain. I wrote the majority of this chapter with a big stupid smile on my face. It made me so happy, and I hope you enjoyed it too.  
Also, um, Lavi/Lenalee might be a secondary ship of sorts…maybe…possibly. I started shipping it during this arc anyways, so we'll see.  
As always, leave a review on your way out:)


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Right so, paper's pretty much done, and my anxiety has prevented sleep so this happened as a consequence.  
I write fanfiction when I'm stressed.

Well, I suppose it's a good thing in the end. I just plowed through this sucker before I ran out of steam.

Anyways, ANNOUNCEMENT: the new update for this story is going to be Tuesday instead of Thursday; my profile's been updated to reflect this.

Also, this chapter is a little steamy. The perfect introduction for the Noah of Lust…

So...

Um...Yeah.

Enjoy!

*Collapses in corner*

* * *

From: WaruWaru  
Q: Here I was, pure, sweet, and doing homework ahead of time. Then you did an early update. YES LENALEELAVI (the day I remember the ship name, the world shall end). It's my favorite ship in the DGM world . . Thanks for the fluff. My heart seriously needed it. Thank you. Seriously. I haven't smiled because of a fic as I just did in a LOOONG time. Another thing. When I read the CAW thing, instead of thinking in Cass's actual name, my head immediately screamed Cassandra Audrey WALKER. It took me around twenty seconds to figure out what was really going on. This ship has affected me. Greatly. I think I know what that "hot feeling" means. ...I don't like it. PEACE

A: I'm always so happy to get reviews from you:) I'm so thrilled you like the Lenalee/Lavi ship as much as I do. I've never really shipped her with Allen (obviously) then I saw the one episode where she's sick and Lavi spends the whole episode taking care and protecting her and I was like: THIS. THIS NEEDS TO BE A THING! You're very, very welcome for all the fluffiness and I'm so happy that this chapter made you smile. I think Allen and Cas really needed this moment.  
Ha ha. I can see how that would happen but no, W stands for Williams/Wilhelm. Yes, the Callen ship was strong in this chapter….and might very will continue to be prevalent in these next few ones as well.  
Yep, we've got another Noah on their tails, not one of my personal favorites but I'll deal until we get to the Fallen Arc (so excited in the worst possible way) Keep leaving your lovely reviews; I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so much:D

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: it's because Allen is a beansprout that he plays as Cas' maiden... Pfft... bless the fluff.

A: Yep, Cas is a seme regardless of the gender *snorts*. Also, I don't think Allen's really _that_ short; he's about average height for a fifteen, almost sixteen-year-old. Everyone around him is just so freaking tall XD. He's about four inches shorter than Cas as she's 5'10 and Allen's 5'6 (at present, he gets taller later) I'm not sure how that looks visually, if it's that distinct of a height difference, but whatever.  
Bless the fluff indeed. This soothed me to write as much as it probably soothed everyone to read.

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: So fluffy-duffy! Gotta lived it. Lifted my mood quite a bit today thanks to these.  
Really I don't know why every fics I'm writing always (and by always, I mean ALWAYS) have dark f*cking themes, like blood, deaths and betrayals. *slam face*. I hope to learn to write things... Well, fluffiER from you.  
A good transition from near-death experience to a happy birth day! I look forward to the next chaps!  
Praise the sodding sun! \\[T]/

A: Aww, I'm so happy I lifted your mood; that makes me feel great:) I know EXACTLY what you mean; I'm a gothic kid, always have been, and I tend to think up some pretty macabre shit. There are times, whether working on a fic or something original that I'll literally curl up on myself and be like 'what the fuck is wrong with me?' Regardless, I'm a fan of gritty realism and there was a little bit of angst in there amidst the fluff what with Cas's dream about Daisya getting eaten alive by Tease. All the same, I enjoy writing fluff almost as much as I enjoy writing whump/gore/angst. Yes! Cas is eighteen now! Woot, woot! That makes Cas/Tyki a little less creepy…somewhat. Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed.

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: Ahaha, Lavi, the voice of the readers - "just kiss damnit". XD And hooooooooo boy Allen and Cas sure know how to sweep each other off of their feet. *fans self* I when Ca dipped him, I imagined Allen just internally wiping sweat off his brow being like 'did it suddenly get hot in here or is it just me?' It's not just you, don't worry Allen! He's making progress on getting Cas to notice him, I'm so proud. And can I just say that how I'm SO glad how he's comfortable enough with himself to be like 'sure, absolutely you can lead', get Cas a tie, etc, etc. (But that's just how he is anyway, as well as most of the Order.) So willing to bend the gender roles, I love it! But really, I think guys should/deserve to be swept off their feet like this too once in a while whether their partner is a girl, regardless. It would be a fun change for both parties. Anyway - BRING ON THE FLUFF! Thank you for this chapter! Well, thank you for ALL that chapters thus far, but also this one in particular, among others. So thanks for doing what you do and good luck on your paper!

A: Yeah. Lavi figured out Cas and Allen had a thing for each other pretty much from the minute he met them back in 'With The Coat', so it's probably been frustrating for him considering how observant he is. Yeah, Cas is a bit of a stud, isn't she? You're probably completely right about Allen's internal reactions. It is pretty apparent at this point that Cas certainly feels something for Allen: it's deep and profound and her emotional inhibitions just can't quite put a finger on it…yet.  
I'm glad you think so in terms of their relationship dynamics. I've always wanted to write a relationship between a boy and a girl in which the girl follows some of the traditional masculine roles and the boy's okay with it. After all, Cas was the more masculine and dominant one in her relationship with Emma, so it's only natural that that would carry over. Cas relates to boys exactly the same way she relates to girls. As a matter of fact, Allen says something in regards to how he feels about the way Cas dresses and to justify why he's comfortable with it further down the line. I won't say what it is now, but its super sweet.  
Cas did sweep Allen off his feet, now we're just waiting for him to do the same;)  
I'm so happy you're pleased with all the chapters so far, and this one as I'm pretty happy with it myself.  
You're deeply welcome, and thanks for the luck:D

From: KijoKuroi  
Q: Yay fluff! There should be more fluff *gives pointed look* Also, though I'm glad he didn't destroy her innocence, I'm surprised Tykki didn't look for it, at the least. I'm also really glad he didn't figure out where all the Blood was coming from, cause that might have been disastrous. But back to the fluffy goodness of Callen, which I enjoyed very much. They were so cute this chapter! :)

A: Okay! I get it XD I will try to weave as much fluff as I can throughout this arc. Well, something I tried to convey in the scene between Tyki and Cas was that her moment of sympathy/empathy towards him really floored him, and he wasn't sure how to respond to it, so he just left, planning to kill her next time once he's back in focus. It was a crucial scene that is pivotal to their future interactions and overall relationship. I'm glad you enjoyed Callen so much this chapter, and I hope you enjoy future installments:)

* * *

Chapter 32: A New Assassin

* * *

It's raining again.

God fucking damnit.

It's like I can't get away from it.

I read in a newspaper a couple town's back that there have been record breaking storms all across Europe.

It's like one great storm is covering the world.

Like a Flood.

I shake off the thought as it turns into a chill, turning my attention back to Allen, Lavi, and Krory who are all sitting around me on the ground against the wall of the boathouse.

We're in Istanbul right now, waiting for the rain to let up so we can take a ferry across the Bosporus Strait and into Asia.

I'm rather excited about the idea, having never left Europe before (even though I was technically born in the United States, but I obviously don't remember that.)

I wonder how Lenalee's feeling about the idea; after all, she was born in China, and we might very well be returning there if Timcampy keeps pointing east.

That should be interesting.

Currently, the girl is off inquiring about how much longer the ferry will be while the impeding storm hammers against the window surrounding us.

She's been gone a while, so to pass the time, Lavi suggested we play Truth or Dare.

Krory had just gone, and at the moment, he's sitting next to me grumbling to himself as he rubs at a grey smudge above his upper lip from when Allen had dared him to draw a moustache on himself with a permanent marker.

"Alright, Cassandra: you're turn," Lavi says to me, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay. I've been wondering this one for a long time." Lavi leans forward, grinning mischievously, "With the ladies: are you a top or a bottom?"

"LAVI!" Allen cries out in horror as his face erupts into flames; Krory, meanwhile, just looks confused.

I snort, "Isn't it obvious? I'm a top."

Allen groans, flopping his head between his knees.

Krory looks between us. "I don't get it."

Lavi chuckles. "I'll explain it to you sometime, big guy."

"Can we stop playing this game?" Allen calls from between his legs.

I laugh at him. "I can't tell if you're embarrassed or aroused."

"I'm not telling."

At that moment, Lenalee walks back over to us.  
"Guys, I have bad news: the dock master said the ferry won't be able to leave until the storm let's up, which will be tomorrow at the earliest. He said that if we tried to set out in this, we'd get blown into the Aegean Sea."

"You mean we're stranded?!" I exclaim.

"Guess we're going to have to find somewhere to spend the night," Lavi declares as he hoists himself to his feet.

I glance warily towards the water sloshing heavily against the window panes, turned black in the evening darkness.

Great. Just great.

* * *

"It's such a pain in the ass to get all the way to Istanbul only to get stranded because of some shitty weather," I yell over the storm as it buffets against our attempts to move down the street; the raindrops feel like shards of ice against my skin. I grasp the brim of scally cap, trying to keep it on my head as my long, red braid whips behind me.

"I guess so," Allen shrugs. "But that's the way it is."

I scowl at him. "I envy your pliant perspective."

A tiny gold flash suddenly wriggles out from under Allen's hood; the little golem bobs in front of his face, jerking his head in the direction of the churning waters as he's swayed slightly by the wind.

"Yeah, I know, Tim. Master's across the Sea, somewhere in Asia. Don't worry. We'll cross it tomorrow."

The golem bobs its head before diving back into the warm, dry confines of Allen's coat.

We all then hurry off down the street as the rain continues to hammer around us, creating a constant static-like sound from it bouncing off the stone streets.

Thunder rumbles over our heads. I wince. "I swear the weather hates me."

* * *

I stand on the sopping sidewalk, hugging my cloak around my shoulders as my soaked hair streams around my face while Lavi argues with an innkeeper.  
"Come on, isn't there anything you can do? None of the other inns will take us."

The man continues to shake his head.

"But sir! Are you saying you want us to sleep in the street in the middle of a thunderstorm?" Krory exclaims.

"What do you want me to do?" the man retorts, stepping aside to show that the entire front room of his inn is a sea of dripping heads, bodies huddled together in blankets and towels, keeping warm by the lanterns. There isn't even a scrap of floor left over. "We're already over capacitated by people that are stranded because of the ferry. I'm sorry, but I just can't fit in anymore customers."

"I guess we'll have to try somewhere else," Lenalee relents.

So, we push on.

The next inn turns us down, and the next, and the next.

All the while, the rain continues to hammer around us, never letting up for a second.

We trudge along the now flooding streets. My shoes and socks are soaked clean through, and my Exorcist cloak is so full of water it feels like it's made of lead.

Lavi throws up his hands. "Every where's packed solid!"

"Are we going to have to sleep in a stable tonight or something?" I scoff, crossing my arms.  
I'm wet and hungry, and those two things are not a good combination, especially with neither a drink nor a smoke in sight.

A small sound suddenly twinges the ends of my ears. I turn at the same time everyone else does just as a tiny black creature steps across the street, swishing its long tail behind it to the same rhythm as the jingling bell it wears around its neck.

"Look. It's a cat," Lavi observes.

I shriek, and jump back about two steps as the feline settles in the middle of the road.

"Cas? Are you alright?" Allen asks, looking at me in bewilderment.

"There isn't anything to be afraid of," Lenalee assures me, "It's just a simple black cat. Look. The poor thing's wet and hungry just like we are."

"I'm not afraid! I just-" I grit my teeth. "Don't you people know anything? A black cat crossing your path is an omen of bad luck!"

"Oh. Don't be silly, Cassandra. There's no such thing as bad luck."

I scowl. "Oh really? Where'd you read that little tidbit, Bookman?"

The cat looks at us innocuously, tilting its head to the side.  
I glare at it. "What are you looking at?"

A second later, the creature turns and takes off down the street.

"Ah, Cassandra; you scared it away!" Lavi exclaims.

"Good." I then turn on the spot and walk backwards thirteen steps. "Alright. I got us exorcised. You're welcome. Hey!" I look to see that the others are hurrying after the cat.

It pauses at the end of the road, mewing loudly in our direction before scampering around the corner.

"Looks like it's trying to lead us somewhere," Allen surmises.

"Well, if it gets us out of the rain, I'll follow the cat anywhere," Lavi adds.

He then takes off, and the other three hurry after him.

"Wait! Just listen, god damnit!" I scream in their wake, stomping my foot.

"C'mon, Cassandra! Don't be a scaredy cat!"

"I will fucking _filet_ you, Bookman!" I snarl as I hurry after them.

We follow the cat through the deserted streets of Istanbul, turning several corners and ducking down a few alleys. Eventually, we draw up short on a narrow, out of the way side street lined with crowded, uneven buildings.

"There!" Lenalee points to the end of the road where we can all see a wooden sign reading _Inn_ swinging in the wind. There's a light in the window below it, spilling a welcoming golden pallor out onto the rainy streets.

It does look inviting, but I still keep my guard up.

Black cat = Doom.

We all file inside the simple building. There's no one about but the lanterns are lit, and there's not a speck of dust to be seen.

We all pull off our wet things, dripping across the once immaculate floor. Allen looks around.  
"Talk about an out of the way place for an inn."

"Divine Providence must have guided us here," Krory proclaims.

"God appears to people as burning bushes, not cats." I sniff, "Cats are evil."

"Well, let's hope this place has some rooms available," Lenalee say as she rings the service bell.

There's a pause before we hear the creak of the door opening.  
"Yes?" a lovely voice, soft like velvet, inquires as a figure steps into view behind the desk.

She's tall and slender with succulent curves that are firmly hugged in all the right places by a crisp black suit. The top button of her blouse is undone and her neck is just barely clasped by a slim, blue tie. Her face is narrow and alabaster white, framed by clipped blonde hair that drapes over one shoulder in a neat ponytail. Her eyes are hidden behind the lens of a pair of small sunglasses.

I inhale sharply. Blood rushes to all the wrong places.

Beside me, Allen whispers to Krory: "Think he'll do it?"

"There's not a doubt in my mind."

"She's so flipping hot!" the silence is shattered by a starry-eyed Lavi as he gallops over to the desk. "You're just my type!"

Lenalee puts her head in her hands.

"I knew it," Allen grumbles.

I, meanwhile, am trying to get a hold of myself.  
I'm clenching and unclenching my fists, trying to resist the urge to loosen my tie. I'm blushing all over and panting slightly.

I lick my dry lips. This is bad. This is like Tyki times a million; I want to throw this woman on the floor and well…

Why am I feeling like this?

"Can I help you?" the woman asks in that soft, lilting voice.

I swallow.

"Yes. We were hoping you had some rooms available for the night," Lenalee explains.

"Please don't make us beg," Lavi adds. "We got stranded here when the ferry was cancelled because of the storm."

"Ah. That's too bad." The woman then opens a drawer and pulls out two bronze keys. She places them on the desk, turning them over in her slender, gloved fingers.

I bite my lip. _Jesus Christ._

"Unfortunately, my parents aren't here today, so I can't offer any further amenities."

"What?" Allen sounds crestfallen. "Like no food or anything?"

The woman looks at him, her gorgeous face impassive.

As hot and bothered as I am, the prospect of going to bed with no food momentarily snaps me out of my haze.  
"Excuse me, darling," I stride past a simpering Lavi as I approach the woman, leaning casually against the desk. "I don't believe we caught our illustrious hostess's name."

The woman raises an eyebrow at me behind her dark shades. "It's Lulu Bell."

I smile, "What a lovely name." I then subtly run my fingers along the length of the desk, brushing them across the top of her covered hand, feeling the friction of her gloves against my own. "A pretty name for a pretty face," I lower my voice. "You look a little on the weary side, honey. Been a long shift?"

Lulu Bell nods, watching my hand trail further up her arm.

"I can imagine you're tired, and you probably don't want us pestering you any longer. Pretty girls need their rest." I sit myself further on the desk, hoisting my leg up and crossing it over the other. "You see, I'm tired too. We all are," I sigh as I loosen my tie. "Why don't you spare us something to eat? Just a bite," I whisper. I lean in closer, twirling a strand of my hair on my finger. "Come on, darling. We don't eat much."

A pinkish tinge forms on the tip of Lulu Bell's alabaster nose. "Well, I suppose I can give you something small to eat."

I chuckle, leaning in a little closer. "I knew we'd see eye to eye."

Lulu Bell looks at me, her light eyes widening ever so slightly behind the lens of her shades.

"Wahoo!" Lavi breaks the spell. "Oh thank you! Thank you, Lulu Bell. You won't regret it. I promise."

Pleased with myself, I jump off the desk as Lulu Bell steps away from me, tossing my braid over my shoulder.  
"That's how you do it, boys," I add, turning to face Krory, Allen, and Lavi; the latter of whom is still drooling after our landlady.

Allen, meanwhile, is beet red, staring down at his feet as he tries to awkwardly cross his legs while standing.

"You're, um…" Krory clears his throat. "Good at that. Did you have to do it often?"

I shrug. "Once or twice." I wink. "I can be smooth when I want to. It's like an inborn trait."

Lenalee rolls her eyes, snatching the keys off the desk before ushering us all upstairs.

After we set our things down in our respective rooms, we all file back downstairs to the dining room for dinner.

'Dinner' is kind of a strong word. What we find are five saucers of milk.

"When I said a _bite_ , I was being factious!" I exclaim as Allen stares dismally down at his 'meal.'

Lavi snorts. "Guess you're not as charming as you thought, Cassandra."

I glare at him. "At least I got further with her than you did, drool-face."

"And we did trouble her to let us stay here," Lenalee reminds us, "I guess we can't expect too much."

"She's right," Lavi agrees, picking up his spoon, "And I'm sure this heated milk will warm us right up." He dips his spoon in and takes a sip, only to spit it out all over Krory.

The faux-vampire licks at the end of his own utensil. He wilts. "This milk's colder than the rain outside."

"Fuck this," I grumble. It's better than nothing. I then pick up my bowl and down its contents in a single slurp. Allen does the same.

It doesn't even fill up an eighth of my aching stomach; my insides still feel hollow.

It also doesn't seem to do anything for my libido. I'm still fuming under my clothes, and my thoughts keep going back to my hand running up the length of Lulu Bell's arm.

"Hey, Cassandra; you know, maybe if you'd kissed her, you would have gotten us more to eat," Lavi exclaims. "You know, like you did with that poker guy on the train from Romania."

My head snaps up. "That was one time!"

God damnit Lavi, Tyki is the _last_ person I want to think about right now.

Not that he'd know that; I sometimes try to work up the nerve to tell the others exactly what had happened in Barcelona, but every time I do, I'm filled with such a burning shame, it makes me want to be violently ill.

I mean, how would I even go about it?

 _Oh yeah, the reason I was nearly killed and Daisya had his organs eaten was because I was making out with a hot Portuguese guy I barely know who just so happens to be a Noah. Go figure!_

Allen might have killed me for it.

The thought of Allen hating me makes me feel even sicker, and I'm momentarily glad for my mostly empty stomach.

Lenalee and Lavi had asked me once, but my reaction quickly filed it into the 'we don't talk about it' category. Their sympathy is wasted on me.

"I'm done kissing strangers." I declare. "Nothing good will come of it."

Lavi looks at me in bewilderment.

"I wish we wouldn't talk about this," Allen grumbles, averting his eyes.

I look at him apologetically before we all lapse into a heavy silence: Lavi, Lenalee, and Krory awkwardly stirring their bowls still full of milk while Allen and I stare dejectedly at our empty ones.

"You know what I just realized?" Lenalee says after a few moments. "The Bosporus Strait is the place mentioned in the Noah's Flood legend."

"You mean, _the_ Noah's Flood?" Allen asks.

Lenalee nods.

"Huh. Ain't that a strange coincidence," I remark, resting my face on my hand as I gaze outside. "And all this rain we're getting." I gesture to it still sloshing against the glass, raising an eyebrow. "Makes you wonder, doesn't it?'

"Cassandra, that's freaking me out," Lavi whines.

I sigh, not even having the energy to laugh at his expense. My stomach heaves, growling loudly. I flop my head down on the table.

"I know how you feel," Allen moans, curling in on himself in his chair, "I might just pass out from hunger."

Lenalee giggles. "You're funny, Allen."

"I'm serious! If I don't get some food in me soon, I'm going to die of starvation!"

"Maybe we should all just go to bed," Lavi declares, "Things will look better in the morning."

Allen nods weakly as he stumbles out of his chair.

I chuckle. "Do you need me to carry you up the stairs?"

"Shut up!" Allen groans.

He turns towards the door. I smirk mischievously before diving out of my chair and snatching him from behind.

Allen gives a cry of shock as I hook one arm under his knees and the other around his back, hoisting him up in my arms as I run out of the room and bound up the stairs.

"C-Cas! W-What are you d-doing!" Allen stammers as he's jostled along, constricting his arms tightly around my neck like he's holding on for dear life.

I don't answer as I run down the hall towards the boys' room, throw open the door and sprint across the room, dumping Allen onto one of the beds. He bounces slightly, staring up at me in utter shock.

"W-What did you do that for?" he finally demands.

"Simple." I reply as I close the door. Allen makes a small noise in the back of his throat that I offhandedly compare to a mouse's squeak. "I didn't want the others to see this." I explain simply as I cross back over to him, still huddled on the bed.

He shrinks back into the folds of the covers as I clamber onto the end of the mattress next to him.  
I then reach into the bottomless pockets of my cloak and pull out a shiny, silver packet.

Allen's eyes widen as I wave the chocolate bar in front of his nose.

"It's for emergencies. I think this qualifies."

"Oh, Cas! I love you," Allen exclaims, making a dive for it.

"Ah ah ah," I chide, holding the bar out of his reach. "Even split. Agreed?"

"Yes! Fine. Just gimme."

I relent, and Allen snatches the candy from my grasp, hurriedly tearing the wrapping off and tossing it to the side with all the ferocity of a man that hasn't eaten in weeks.

I hold out my hand expectantly, making sure he hasn't forgotten.

After a moment, he breaks the chocolate bar in half and gives me the other piece before stuffing the entirety of his own portion into his mouth.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he says thickly as he chews.

I shrug as I munch my own half. "Hey. What are best friends for?"

Allen nods as he swallows. "I do feel kind of bad about not sharing with the others."

"I don't," I reply simply, licking any lingering chocolate off my fingers, making sure to savor every drop. "Us Parasite-types need to stick together."

The door suddenly flies open with a bang, making both of us jump.  
"Are you two fucking in here or something?" Lavi demands.

"Die in a hole, Bookman!" I holler, yanking off my boot and hurling it across the room.

It hits Lavi right between the eyes, causing him to flatten against the wall, dazed.

Behind him, Krory screams and ducks behind a curtain.  
"I just wanted to change into my pajamas," he whimpers.

"Cas! Get out of the boys' room," Lenalee calls from the hallway, "It's too late to be horsing around!"

"I'll horse around all fucking night if I want!" I exclaim, leaping to my feet and standing on top of the bed, jostling the mattress quite heavily.

I bounce a bit more experimentally. "Wow, this thing's like a trampoline." I then tuck jump straight up into the air before flopping down against the mattress, nearly launching Allen over the side.

"Gah! Cas!" he cries as he's tossed like a salad.

"C'mon, Allen!" I exclaim, grabbing his hands and pulling him to his feet while hopping up and down harder and harder.

Allen stumbles, staggering all over the bed as he tries to get his bearings. He's laughing however, and I am as well until I trip over my still booted foot and fall flat on my face.

On top of Allen.

"Oomf!" he gasps as I knock the wind out of him, flattening us both against the mattress as the springs groan under our weight.

I prop myself up on my arms, slightly bleary as I try to process what just happened.  
I kind of wish I didn't because, as I sit up, I find myself splayed on top of Allen, chest on chest, my face inches from his with one hand planted behind his head, the other resting on his hip. Allen's gasping, his face as red as my hair, which is exploding out from its braid, unable to maintain itself after all this activity. Also, somehow, in the way we'd fallen, Allen has managed to prop his leg up on my shoulder.

He lies under my body, chest heaving as he gapes up at me, face flushed and hair disheveled.

"I-Uh," Blood goes back to all the wrong places. What is wrong with me tonight?

I awkwardly try to disentangle myself by sliding my arm from Allen's hip and up his torso.

He closes his eyes, a shiver passing through him.

Great. I made it worse.

"Get a room, you too!" Lavi hollers, having recovered as he throws his own shoe at us. He misses his mark however, and the boot sails over our heads and shatters an ugly picture of some flowers hanging on the wall above the bed; the frame falls off its hook and clatters to the floor with a large crack splintering the glass.

"Now, you've done it!" Lenalee exclaims from the doorway where she's trying to coax Krory out of hiding.

"I-Uh-I think Lenalee's right," I declare, laughing nervously as I finally manage to pry myself from between Allen's scissoring legs. "That's enough horsing around for one night. Good night, Allen."

"Uh huh."

"And stay out!" Lavi calls as I stoop to pick up my fallen shoe. I turn and hold it aloft threateningly, causing him to stagger back.

"Better do something about that broken picture," I call as I step into the hall, closing the door behind me.

I find Lenalee waiting for me, arms crossed, foot tapping, looking oddly reminiscent of my mother as she glares up at me.  
"You're unbelievable," she exclaims, shaking her head.

I chuckle. "I make no apologies."

With that, the other girl turns and heads to our room across the hall from the boys'.

I, meanwhile, am in desperate need of a cold shower.

* * *

I stand under the frigid water, feeling it flow down my ruddy skin as I close my eyes.  
I'm achy and flushed from the roots of my hairline all the way down to the tips of my toes.

What's wrong with me? I can't remember the last time I was this horny.

My thoughts start to wander despite my attempts to rear them in.

Going places like Kanda's chiseled abs as he curls up next to me in the Witch's village, his long silky hair framing his gorgeous face: a perfect equilibrium of masculine and feminine. Feeling his muscles ripple under his skin as I'd embraced him before leaving Spain.

Lenalee's long, creamy legs. Her virgin lips, soft like velvet, against my own.

Tyki's hot body pressing up against me in the alley; his long, slender tongue perusing the deepest corners of my mouth as his hands trail expertly along the seams of my pants and brush against the clasp of my belt…

 _No!_ I curl my hands into fists. _Don't think about that…_

Allen: soaking wet, licking his lips as whipped cream dribbles down his…

"Whoa!" My eyes snap open as I stumble back somewhat, slamming against the soaking tiled walls, breathing heavily.

 _Jesus Christ, where did_ that _come from?_

Deciding that the cold shower is obviously not helping, I spin around to turn off the running water.

Then the bathroom explodes.

I yell in shock as I'm propelled forward, slamming through the glass door and hurtling into the opposite wall as the entire back wall of the shower blows up, spraying plaster and shrapnel everywhere.

I slowly sit up, gasping as I feel my Blood working the tiny bits of glass and plaster out of my skin.

I glance up in time to see an Akuma sidle through the hole it had made in the front wall. Its dead eyes flit towards me as it turns its guns in my direction.

I laugh quietly. "Finally. A use for this hot Blood."

I then shoot out my arm just as a ribbon of red erupts from under my skin and slices the Akuma in half.

I duck and roll out of the way as it explodes, spraying more ash around the tiny room.

I then remember I'm naked and there's a hole in the wall, the rain from outside coupled with the busted shower head still spraying freezing water everywhere is not a good combination.

I quickly snatch a simple inn-issued bathrobe.

I run towards the destroyed shower, slipping slightly on the slick floor. Peering through the surging ice water, I see the others running along on the neighboring roofs with still more Akuma sweeping over their heads.

Of course there isn't just one.

After a moment, a bulky shadow passes over me just as an Akuma sweeps over the street. After a moment's hesitation, I leap through the veil of shower water and out into the storm, another rope of Blood curling out from my sleeve and wrapping around the Akuma.

I use it to swing myself across the street, tearing it apart as soon I can get a firm footing. My robe clings to my body rather awkwardly as I alight on the roof across the street. The plush fabric absorbs the rain water like a sponge, make it about as useful as a wet towel.

I spy Allen fire at an Akuma just as another drops down behind him.

"Allen! Duck!" I call as a crimson spike erupts from my back and cuts through the Akuma's pale face.

Allen jumps back as it explodes. He then turns towards me.

His eyes widen. "Cas…You're, um…"

I scowl, self-consciously wrapping my arms around myself. "I was in the shower and an Akuma blew up the bathroom. Sue me!"

"Grow! Grow! GROW!" I'm thankfully distracted as Lavi's behemoth of a Hammer smashes two Akuma to smithereens and both Allen and I had to jump another roof to avoid getting crushed.

"Hey, Cassandra! It's about time!" Lavi winks at me. "I like the outfit."

"Fuck off."

Ahead of us, Krory bounds onto an Akuma's back. "Don't just blow them up!" he hollers, "It'll be a waste." He then sinks his teeth into the creature. It shrivels like a drying fruit as the faux-vampire guzzles down its blackened blood.

"Finally got my meal!" Krory exclaims, jumping away just before the creature erupts.

Another appears out of the corner of my eye.

I turn, swinging my Blood to knock it to the side, but I miss. I stagger back, scrambling to regain my footing.

With a yell, Lenalee drops down on top of it and finishes the job.

"Nice one," I say as she drops down next to me.

"Is everyone alright?"

"I think so."

"Hey, has anyone seen Lulu Bell?" Lavi suddenly cries.

When no one responds, he jumps off the roof and rushes back across the street to the now mostly destroyed inn.

"Hey, Lulu Bell!" he yells as we follow, throwing open the door.

Only silence and the darkened, crumbling remains of the building respond.

"Lulu Bell!" Lavi moves further inside, shouting all the way, "Lulu Bell! Lulu Bell, are you here? There's no sign of her," he calls to us, coming back outside.

"Perhaps she was captured," Krory offers.

I shake my head. "Akuma don't take prisoners."

Lenalee claps a hand to her mouth. "Oh no."

A sudden jingling makes us all jump. We turn towards the only partially standing door in time to see a silky black tail slide around the corner.

"That cat again," Lavi muses.

"We don't have much time," Allen declares. "There's still a chance Lulu Bell may have fled and is in hiding somewhere. We have to find her."

"If you say so," I reply. "Can I get my cloak first?"

* * *

While the others head back out into the storm, I sprint upstairs and hastily throw a pair of sweats and T-shirt before tossing my Exorcist cloak over my shoulders.

I jump out the second story window and nearly fall on my face as I hit the street, slipping on the sleek stone.

Faintly, I hear the others hollering over the rain.

"Lulu Bell!"

"Ms. Bell, where are you?"

"Hey, Lulu!"

I follow their voices.

"Did you find her?" I ask as their forms melt out of the rain.

Allen shakes his head.

"It pains me to say it, but you may be right, Cas" Krory whispers.

"We don't know that for sure," Allen asserts.

"Yeah, for all we know, she may have gotten away and is hiding in town somewhere."

"Where's Lenalee?" I then inquire

"She stayed behind in the hotel in case Lulu Bell comes back," Allen explains.

"As for us, I think we should split up," Lavi announces, gesturing down a side street. "I'll take this area."

Allen nods. "Alright. Krory and I will continue down the main road."

I point upwards, "I'm going to see if I can gather anything from a higher perspective."

"Okay. Let's hurry," Allen says before we break our huddle.

Lavi runs around the corner while Allen and Krory run straight ahead. I turn and shoot out a whip of Blood, curling it around the edge of a roof and allowing it to pull me into the building.

My bare feet grasp the uneven stone as I hoist myself up onto the roof. I climb directly into the wind, and am nearly knocked off my feet as it rips through my cloak and then pajamas.

I grit my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut as I grip the edge of the roof. After a moment, there's a break in the storm and I use it to take off running.

I leap from rooftop to rooftop, squinting through the storm as I try to catch any sign of Lulu Bell. But the streets are deserted.

I pause on top of a gable, perched like a bird as I peruse the shadowed streets. The rain has let up in the last few minutes, and it's now only lightly drizzling.

I still see nothing. I don't even spy Lavi, Krory, or Allen.

Some blunt impact suddenly knocks me back. Lights explode in my eyes and I'm monetarily startled as I fly forward into a free fall. I twist my body as I tumble between two buildings. My right arm shoots out, coated in claws and digs deeply into the stone.

There's a crunch as it drags through the brick under the force of my fall.  
Once I've stilled, I twist my body just as the Akuma pounces from above. I shoot up a hardened spike of Blood and it slices it apart.

I glance up as the pieces rain down around me; the edge of the roof is not too far above me.

I strain, reaching upward until my fingers finally close around the corner.

I yank my clawed hand free and pull myself up. I'd only just straightened up when I look up to see two more Akuma bobbing in the air before me.

I clench my teeth as two tentacles blast out from my arms and rip through one and then the other, criss-crossing for good measure.

The double kill explodes simultaneously.

When the smoke clears, I run to the other end of the roof, my eyes scanning the street below.

I then notice two people standing in the middle of the road directly below me.

One of them is Allen, the other…is Lulu Bell.

Lulu Bell with blackened hair…with umber skin…with yellow eyes…and stigmata across her forehead.

Lulu Bell standing behind Allen with slender, polished claws pressed against his throat.

A gasp catches in my throat.

My vision tunnels and then goes red.

 _Don't you dare…Don't you fucking dare!_

"GET AWAY FROM MY ALLEN!" the scream rips through my chest as I propel myself over the edge of the roof, both of my arms entirely coating in hardened Blood, forming into two spears.

Lulu Bell jerks away in shock, and I use the opportunity to knock her back against the wall, crossing my Bloody spears against her throat.

I stare down at her, seething.

She looks back at me, her gold eyes expressionless in her dark face.

I chuckle slyly. "You're still pretty hot even with that Noah get-up on."

Although, Tyki rocked it better.

Lulu Bell gives no outward response.

She just suddenly vanishes, her body becoming seemingly intangible.

I gasp, my Blood retracting as I whip around, expecting her to be behind me.

Her cold, dark nails press the barest amount against my throat once I've turned entirely towards her.

I go rigid, my eyes straining to keep track of her clawed weapons.

Lulu Bell looks at me, tilting her head to the side as though she's considering something.

"No." She whispers, slowly lowering her fingers. "You're not my prey. You belong to someone else."

My words hitch in my throat. "I…"

BANG!

I leap to the side just as Allen's attack flies past my head, singing the tips of my hair.

I realize that Lulu Bell took the attack at point blank as I roll to the side across the damp cobblestones; so, one can imagine my shock when I glance up and see her slender body disappearing amidst the rooftops.

"Get back here!" I holler, jumping to my feet as I clench my fists, "Get back here and fight me, you Noah bitch!"

"Cas, it's okay," I turn to see Allen deactivate his Weapon.

I look at him, and am instantly exhausted as all my adrenaline drains away.

I think of Daisya and, in that moment, I saw Allen as Daisya and that…that terrified me.

"Oh, Allen," I cry as I throw my arms around him and crush him against my chest.

He returns my embrace, tenderly trailing his fingers through my damp hair.  
"It's okay. I'm alright. We're both alright."

"I-I know," I stammer, hiccupping slightly as a sob catches in my throat. I'm still pretty shaken.

"Cas! Allen!"

We break apart and turn around in time to see Lavi, Krory, and Lenalee hurry over to us.

"What happened?" the former inquires. "We heard someone scream."

"Lulu Bell," Allen clenches his teeth. "She was a Noah."

Lenalee's eyes widen. "What?"

"But she was so hot!"

"Lavi!"

"She was."

"Gold eyes, black skin, scars on the forehead. Yep," I cross my arms, "Seems a pretty sound diagnosis."

"Well, where did she go?" Krory inquires, looking unnerved.

Allen and I exchange a glance.

"She just ran off."

"Really? Why?"

I shrug. "I have no idea. She said something about us not being her 'prey' and then backed out."

"Huh," Lenalee looks pensive. "That's odd."

I then notice that Lavi is giving me a funny look. "What?"

"Cas, what exactly did you yell?"

"Sorry?"

"Before, I heard you. What did you say?"

"I said 'Get away from Allen'."

"Really?" Lavi grins cheekily. "I heard it a little differently."

Allen blinks. "What'd you hear?"

"Forget it!" I quickly shut them both down. "Look. The rain's stopped, that means the ferry will be running again tomorrow. We're going to need to get up early tomorrow to catch it, so we should go back to what's left of the inn and get some sleep"

Lavi chuckles before lapsing into a stretch. "Can't argue with that, Cassandra."

"Don't call me that."

* * *

The following day dawns bright and sunny.

Allen, Krory, Lavi, Lenalee and I are all the first one's on board the ferry, figuring it wouldn't be best to linger in Istanbul.

"Now that another member of the Clan of Noah has showed up, our job's just gotten a lot tougher," Lavi muses, crossing his arms as he leans against the side of the ferry while we wait to board.

"I'm not going to say 'I told you so'," I declare smugly, "But I told you so. Follow a black cat and we run into a Noah."

Lavi bristles, absentmindedly rubbing the purple bruise on his forehead from where I'd hit him with my shoe. "Alright, Cassandra. Geez! You don't have to rub it in."

"All the same," Krory adds, "The appearance of a Noah makes it all the more important that we find General Cross as soon as possible," Krory adds, "So now, let us journey to Asia!"

Lavi taps his chin thoughtfully. "You know, I hadn't thought of this, but what if Lulu Bell slips on the boat with us?"

Krory turns even paler.

"Relax! I was just kidding."

I scowl, crossing my arms while Lenalee giggles. "Lavi. I have never found you to be very funny."

As Lavi continues to tease Krory, and Lenalee continues to laugh at their antics, I look towards Allen, who's gazing out at the waters, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hey," I place my hand on the top of his head, causing him to look at me. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. You?"

I smile slightly, "I'll live."

* * *

A/N: Cas made a Noah blush! Cas made a Noah blush! This chapter got gay…again. Sorry. Steven Universe has done things to me.  
What can I say? Lulu Bell is the Noah of Lust, and they're all teenagers (except Krory, who's a bit out of the loop XD. I guess Grandpa Aryster never got to THAT part of the birds and the bees).  
You do the math.  
But there was Callen fluff….and Callen sexual tension.  
So that happened.  
Hey, did anyone notice that Cas isn't calling Allen 'kid' anymore?  
Also: 'My Allen'. Call it wishful thinking or a Freudian slip, whichever, it happened XD


	33. Chapter 33

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: Well, Cas, ye bitch of a bitch XD no offence meant. Like it a lot actually. Seducing Noahs. Twice. That's what I'd call SKILLZ, hahaha.  
Be lookin forward for more. Also sorry for the short review. It's just too relaxin' for my taste  
Praise the sun! \\[T]/

A: Ha ha! Yeah, Cas is a pretty good seducer; I suppose you have to be when you're freezing, hungry, alone, and out of money while Akuma hunting. She does have skills; she said it herself: it's practically an 'inborn trait' *wink, wink*  
I guess the Noah would find her kind of alluring considering she's sort of a 'bad girl' Exorcist (at least, I think that's what Tyki thinks)  
Don't worry about the short review; I love reviews in all shapes and sizes. Hopefully the more intense stuff down the line will be more your speed;)

From:RavenxX  
Q: OH MY GOSH!  
I got a little busy with exams and when I return I find SO MANY chapters. I bet this is a reward for all my Hardwork. *cries* Praise the Author!  
Lets come back to the review, God, the latest chapter is Amazing. A funny start with a Fluffy end. Ah, it soothes my soul! I found it hilarious when Cas did the jumping on the mattress, like seriously, i also do that when i find a mattress soft and bouncy.  
By the way, you did the blood and killing scene of Cas and Daisya pretty awesome. The Feels! It was much better thanhow I wanted it. I was meaning to ask how you will write the Fallen arc, like will Cas be with Allen or Back on the ship? Personally i would love to have Cas with Allen and how they will make an AWESOME appearance later. Then again, you also said that there will be another encounter with Dark-Tyki. Perhaps, it will be in Fallen arc (along with Allen)? Man, i cant wait till then.  
Also, "MY ALLEN". I was squealing! Ahaha. I am glad Cas is also beginning to develop something *Grins*. Moreover, i did notice that she doesnt call him 'kid' anymore. *wink*

A: Well, I'm happy you're back and I'm glad you're excited about the chapters. I'm happy my fic was a good reward for your hard work:) Yeah, Cas acts kind of caffeinated in this chapter, doesn't she?  
Thanks so much! Cas and Daisya vs. Tyki was probably one of the hardest scenes I've done so far, so I'm glad you're so pleased with it.  
A lot of people have asked questions about the Fallen Arc; I won't say anything aside from: Expect. Pain.  
Yes, Cas's amusing Freudian slip and then how embarrassed she was about it later XD  
And she usually assigns nicknames to people i.e. Kanda is 'Ponytail/Eye Candy/Man Candy/etc', Lenalee is 'Legs' and Lavi is 'Bookman' (or moron) and Allen was obviously 'kid' for a while. She usually only calls people by their names when she's super comfortable and close with them so…yeah. Take that as you will.

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: Allen doesn't know how to deal with his... ahem... little problem unless he goes Red possibly -laughs- and that is true about Allen's height. he's actually just 3 inches taller than myself. so when Kanda started making fun of his height I always was like "well /excuse me/ for Allen not being a freak of nature, artificial body aside!" cause Asian men are normally 5'9" or shorter, cause a lot of the ones I went to high school with were close to my height or a little bit taller. while Lavi is just a well watered red sunflower. (Kanda is a bamboo stalk). when Cas mentioned cats were evil, I couldn't help but think of her saying that God would have sent a dog instead cause it's just God spelled backwards.

A: Lol! Yeah, I think Allen liked that 'seducing' thing even more than Lulu Bell did XD. He likes the idea of Cas being dominant. I don't know how Cas would feel about Allen going 'Red'. I guess we'll have to see…Yeah, I was the same way: Allen's the same height as my father and I'm even shorter so I was a little indignant too. 'Lavi's a well-watered red sunflower'*snorts* As for Cas, she has long legs, like really long. Like Sanji from One Piece kind of long. There is an explanation for why she's so much taller than her mother and grandmother (as they're both shorter than Allen) but I won't get into that now.  
God sending a dog! Ha! That does sound like something Cas would say. She is really superstitious though, gets it from her grandmother most likely.  
Anways, glad you enjoyed. Read on!

From: WaruWaru  
Q: 100th REVIEW! *throws butterfly-shaped confetti*  
(or at least I hope it is)  
It's late(this review), but it's here. Yus.  
MORE CALLEN. MORE YUS. *squeals*  
I have officialy decided to become Cas's apprentice. I really need some flirting tips... JK. To make a Noah blush... I was partly scared for the future and partly very fuffing proud of Cas on that scene. Go team dom!  
Although you gave me a little heart attack back there when Lulubell got Allen (which wasn't good because I was reading in my classroom and now the whole classroom knows that I'm loud when stressed), all the good in this chappie makes up for that moment. And I now want to tease Cas and Allen SO BADLY. I cry. Lavi better do my ration of teasing or I'm gonna be mad (ha, as if this ship could ever make be mad. ...ok, maybe it can)  
*throws more confetti and dissapears*

A: YES! YES! 100 REVIEWS! *does a happy dance around her bedroom*  
Yeah, Cas can certainly work her way through any kind of person, can't she? I might need some tips from her myself to be honest...Although, she doesn't do it as often as she could, probably because she's a little ashamed of some of the things she's done like that.  
The display was a bit of a hint for another part of Cas's backstory. After all, we've learned everything about her life in her hometown, but not too much about the three years she spent training. This arc will have a bit of elaboration on that. Sprinkled in amongst the Callen fluff!  
I think Cas had a heart attack too (I mean as much as she can for having a heart that doesn't beat) before she lost her shit. She has to protect her Allen XD  
Lavi's probably going to tease them silly for that moment on the bed. Poor Allen; he was NOT prepared for that.  
I hope this ship won't ever make you mad! And thanks a million for being my hundredth reviewer!  
Butterfly confetti for everyone!

From: Vic16mall  
Q: I truly love the story. I have never encountered a story like this before. It is so well-rounded. I can't wait for your next chapter.

A: Aww! Thanks so much. Really. That means a lot. I hope you enjoy future chapters!:D

* * *

Chapter 33: The Black Cat's Trap

* * *

Lenalee smiles as she takes a sip of her tea.  
"Ever since we've crossed the Strait, everything's had a wonderful Asian fell to it. You know?"

Lavi snorts. "Yeah. Crazy how Asian Asia can be."

She scowls at him, and he winks.

I ignore their antics, too focused on my food. I'd ordered a dish called Manti which is essentially fried beef and lamb dumplings served with yogurt and spices. I'm starting to regret my decision, not because it isn't good; on the contrary, it's delicious, but because it reminds me of Daisya.

He'd told me that it was his favorite food, which is why I ordered it because it was the only thing on the menu I'd recognized.

Since we've been in Turkey, I'd tried so hard not to think of him.

It isn't working.

I set my fork down, having lost my appetite.

My companions around me are all oblivious to my laments; Krory is avidly devouring a rice dish called pilav, and Allen is attacking a meatball-like food called kofte.

I sigh under my breath.

Maybe when we get back to Europe, I should consider some therapy.

Geez, I sound like my mother.

"Well, according to our faithful guide here, it appears that my Master is heading even further east." Allen jerks me from my thoughts as he gestures to Timcampy bobbing around above our heads.

"How much further do you think, Allen?" Lenalee inquires. "India or China?"

Allen shrugs. "The world is a big place, so it's hard to tell."

"Unfortunately for us," I grumble.

Allen looks at me, pointing to my food. "Are you gonna finish that?"

Wordlessly, I slide the plate over to him.

"That's true!" Krory exclaims through gritted teeth, straining heavily. I look his way to see he's wrestling with a bowl of suspicious-looking ice cream that appears to be made of rubber. "The world is vast and full of wonders like this marvelous stretching ice cream. I've never seen such a thing!" He has a firm mouthful clenched in his sharp teeth, ripping with all his might, but it doesn't give.  
Krory does instead: leaning back too far in his seat. and the chair finally topples over causing the faux-vampire to fall flat on his back, the bowl of ice cream splattering all over his face in a creamy mess as he lies on the ground in a daze.

"Krory!" Lenalee jumps to her feet and hurries over to help him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

As I watch her try to sop up the spilled confection, a cold feeling suddenly pauses through my body.  
I bristle, rubbing my arms as a glance around warily.

"Cas, what is it?" Allen asks.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just got a chill."

Lavi raises an eyebrow. "Another one? Are you feeling alright?"

I shrug. "I dunno. I think I'm still a little shaken from what happened in Istanbul. I don't know about you guys, but the Noah scare the fucking hell out of me."

Lenalee nods. "I agree…Although, not quite how I would put it."

* * *

After our meal, we make our way through Ankara's streets. It's market day, so the roads are quite crowded. I have to keep my eyes constantly trained on Lavi's spikey red hair as he leads our procession through the throng to make sure I don't get lost.

Eventually, we make it to our hotel, and Lenalee checks us in.  
"The Black Order should have called ahead and made a reservation for us here," she says to the hotel manager.

He smiles warmly. "Yes, we were notified of your stay, and we have rooms ready for you."

"Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome. We'll show you to your rooms at once." The manager then turns to a bellhop. "Will you take their bags?"

"Of course, sir." He holds his hand out to me, gesturing at my periwinkle suitcase. "May I?"

Lavi grins as we unload our luggage. "Maybe we'll finally be able to get some rest."

Allen looks over his shoulder as though a thought had just occurred to him.  
"Hey, guys, where's Krory?"

"Don't be silly. He's right…" I whirl around only to see the spot behind me that Krory had previously occupied to be conspicuously empty.

Allen groans. "Don't tell me he got lost!"

"Damn it, Cassandra. You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him!"

"I was! I…" I falter, gripping the side of my head as I groan between my teeth. "Fuck."

I could have kicked myself. Lavi is right; I should have been keeping a closer eye on him. Haven't our experiences in Bucharest taught me anything?!

"Come on. We have to find him!" I declare, whirling around and sprinting out of the lobby, the others close behind me.

I stop once I hit the street, realizing as I gaze around the bustling throngs that I have absolutely no idea where to start.

I grumble a vile curse in German before turning to the others.

Lavi scratches his head. "Any idea where he could've gone?"

Allen sighs. "I guess we'll have to split up and look for him."

Lavi groans. "I gotta say: the guy's kind of a pain."

Allen crosses his arms. "Let's just try to remember that there's another Noah member on our trail, so we need to find him as soon as possible."

Lenalee nods, her eye misting. "We have to be ready. I don't want to lose any more friends."

I grasp her arm. "Get a grip, Legs. We'll find him."

"Cas is right," Allen adds, "Of course we will."

Lenalee nods, wiping her eyes.  
"Right. Thanks you guys."

"Good," Lavi reaches out and takes her hand, pulling her into the crowd with Allen and I trailing behind them. "Now let's find Krory."

We part ways at a cross road, opting to meet back at the square in half an hour.

Allen and I weave through the mob of bodies and limbs, trying to keep ourselves from getting buffeted against a wall.

"Man, this is like Mardi Gras or something," I grumble as I'm bumped to the side by a man hauling a cart of chickens. "My mother's told me horror stories."

Allen doesn't seem to be listening to me. He suddenly stops dead, and I have barely a second to react before a burst of fire erupts in front of my eyes. We both scream, stumbling backwards; Allen falls back on top of me as I hit the ground flailing.

The crowd cheers, and I look on in bewilderment as a street performer in a brightly colored costume twirls his blazing batons, turning one towards his face and swallowing the tip before rearing back and shooting another burst of fire out his mouth straight up into the air.

Allen gulps. "That scared me."

"Me too." I laugh, placing my hands on his shoulder as I heave myself to my feet.

Allen jumps up a minute later.  
He looks at me curiously. "I figured you wouldn't be all that afraid of fire considering how much you smoke."

I scoff, "Well anyone would be at least a little alarmed if it erupted in front of their face like that."

Allen chuckles. "I suppose you're right."

We return out attention to the fire breather as he twirls around the break in the crowd the people have provided for him. He turns an impressive back flip before landing in a slow split, spinning his batons all the while.

I whistle. "Wow! Could you do that?" I ask Allen.

He shrugs. "Probably. Mana taught me a thing or two."

I cross my arms, thoughtful. "You know; I could probably do it too if I tried."

Allen turns towards me, startled. "You could not!"

I snort. "Ye of little faith." I then lean closer to him and whisper in his ear. "As a matter of fact, I happen to be quite flexible." As I speak, I run my hand down Allen's spine.

"Cas! Stop it!" Allen jerks away from me, blushing furiously.

I laugh. "You're so cute when you get all flustered like that."

"Shut up!"

"Hey, guys!" We turn in time to see Lenalee and Lavi weave through the crowd towards us.

"Lenalee says some guy saw Krory heading out of the city," Lavi explains, slightly breathless as they draw up in front of us.

"Why would Krory leave Ankara?" Allen asks.

"That's not the strange part," Lenalee looks slightly pale. "The man said he saw him following _me_."

Allen and I exchange a glance.

"That doesn't make sense, and therefore it can't be good," I say.

"We better hurry," Allen adds.

With that, we all take off running towards the city gates.

As we exit the Turkish capitol, a winding dirt road stretches out ahead of us, flanked on either side by miles and miles of golden desert that seems to stretch all the way to the horizon.

The afternoon sun beats down over our heads, soaking into the folds of my heavy Exorcist cloak whipping behind me as I run along after Allen and Lenalee with Lavi bringing up the rear.

A sudden explosion goes off on the other side of a hill just ahead of us, spraying up clouds of dust.

As we race up the crest, I hear Krory scream.

"Krory!" My Blood erupts from under my sleeves as we slide down the slope and into a valley to see Krroy pinned between two Level II Akuma.

One of them has a body like a hammerhead shark with huge drills for hands. The other has eigth eyes and long spindly legs like a spider.

Krory is pinned between them, tangled in a nest of black and white tentacles from the former Akuma's bulk.

"Get off him!" I yell as Allen, Lenalee, Lavi and I bear down on two creatures they bot hshriek in surprise and fright as I slice my Blood through Krory's binds, freeing him.

Lavi drops down in front of me, swinging his Hammer and knocking the hammerhead Akuma back while Allen swipes at the spider with his clawed arm.

Both the Akuma squeal in terror as their thrown several yards back like a couple of footballs.

"Uh, guys!" The tremor in Lenalee's voice makes me turn towards her, but im' alarmed to see there are actually two Lenalees standing behind Krory.  
One of them is calmly staring ahead of her, her gaze cold and hard, the other is regarding her double with a look of shock.

Allen blinks. "What the-?"

From his spot on the ground, Krory gapes up at the two identical girls.  
"There are two Lenalees?"

"That's not such a bad thing," Lavi remarks, shrugging.

"Lavi." I chide.

I then turn back towards the Lenalee that is the obvious fake as she's just standing there staring straight ahead.

Beside me, Allen's eye activates. "She's not an Akuma."

Lavi smirks. "She's human? Then I guess Lenalee just discovered her own twin sister."

"I don't have a twin!"

I'm not listening to their arguing, I'm still staring at the fake Lenalee. As I do, she slowly raises her icy eyes to meet mine. A hot feeling surges in the pit of my stomach.

My eyes widen, and my hands clam up.  
I flex my fingers.

 _This feeling…I've felt it before: with Road…with Tyki…with…_

"No," I take a step closer. "You can't be…"

The false Lenalee reaches out to me. I freeze as she a finger along the side of my face, lightly grasping a strand of my hair and playing with it almost absentmindedly.

I open my mouth, a question poised on my tongue, but before I can ask it, the girl's hand flies out and she rakes her nails across the side of my face.

I cry out, staggering back, gripping my stinging cheek.

"Cas!" Allen starts forward, but there's a sudden loud bang followed by a crunch and the sound of blunt impact.

I recoil as dust explodes around me, completely masking my vision.

"Lenalee!" I hear Lavi yell and stagger in the direction of his voice, dazed.

"Lavi!" The air begins to clear, and I catch a glimpse of Lavi's spiky red hair.

He runs towards me. "They took her! They took Lenalee!"

"The Akuma," Krory appears a second later, followed by Allen. "They grabbed both the real Lenalee and the fake."

A gust of wind blows away the remaining dust in time for all to catch a glimpse of two dark shapes hurrying off in opposite directions.

"The Akuma!" Lavi shoulders his Hammer. "Let's go."

"Wait," I grab his arm. "We don't know which one has the real Lenalee and which one has the fake."

"Then we'll have to split up," Allen declares.

"Alright. I'll go with Lavi after the drillhead. You and Krory follow the spider."

"Right."

"Come on, Cassandra." Lavi jumps into the air, swinging his Hammer down onto the ground as it grows. He perches upon it as I climb up and grab the handle.

"Grow! Grow! GROW!" The Weapon surges upward, elevating at an alarming speed.

I gasp, gripping the handle even tighter as the ground falls away from us. "Lavi, easy!" I exclaim.

I look towards him to see he isn't answer. His eyes are fixed on the cloud of kicked up dirt getting closer and closer as his Hammer elongates.

"Lavi," I dare to remove one of my hands from their white knuckle grip and gingerly tap his shoulder. "We're gonna get her back."

He looks towards me in surprise before his face morphs into a rather forced smirk. "Of course."

"Down there!" I suddenly cry, returning our attention to the ground just as a surge of brown dust strikes directly under us. "It's burrowed underground."

"There's no use running," Lavi calls down to the submerged Akuma. "You can't hide from me."

He then grips his Hammer and pulls.

"Lavi!" I scream as he rips it out from under both of us and hoists it over his head. I'm sent flying backward, only able to wrap my Blood around a solitary Scotts Pine before I can be cannonballed into the dirt.

Lavi brings down his Hammer with deafening impact, but only succeeds in knocking up more dust as the Akuma evades, plunging on through the ground.

Lavi strikes again, but misses once more.

"This is like playing a gigantic game of Whack-A-Mole!"

BANG! BANG! He strikes again and again.

The Akuma sweeps left and right, dodging each strike narrowly, but dodging all the same.

I scan the sands, watching the Akuma ripples beneath them.  
"Lavi!" I call, struggling somewhat to continue holding on the branch. "Lavi!"

"Kinda busy here, Cassandra!"

I scowl. "Stop hitting blind and just roast

Lavi jerks his head to look at me. "Isn't that a little hardcore?"

I smile reassuringly. "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of Lenalee."

Lavi nods the barest amount before he drops to the ground and raises his Weapon above his head.

I dive from the tree, wrapping Blood around my body to form a kind of armor as I sprint towards the strike in the dirt.

"Time to flush you out, Akuma!"

"Fire Stamp: Hellfire Devouring Flame!"

My vision goes red as the whole world seems to catch fire. I feel its heat consume my hardened blood as I bolt through the flames, knocking them aside as they scorch the ground. I smell smoke and ash and burning flesh.

There!  
I jerk my head as the aroma of rotten blood baking in the heat reaches my nose. I pivot towards it just as a dark shape melts out of the fire.

The hammerhead Akuma. It writhes, screaming in agony as the flames consume its form. My Blood pounds as I approach. Out of the creature's bulk, I suddenly spy, through the folds of its ribs that are melded like a cage.

Lenalee.

With a yell, I leap towards the smoldering creature, the force of its shriek and stench as its cooked alive nearly knocks me back. I feather my Blood through the folds of its chest, ripping Lenalee from harm's way as the creature disintegrates.

I wrap my tendrils around and around Lenalee's body, tucking her against my chest as the flames surge and we're knocked backward. I twist my body, landing on my back in the dirt, skidding back several feet from the force of the explosion.

I gasp as the smoke clears. My vision is blurry and smoke ripples around me from my slightly singed hair.

"Cassandra!" Lavi drops down and hurries over to me.

I glance down to see Lenalee lying on top of me, wrapped in my arms.

"It's alright," I say, gently lowering her to the ground as I sit up. "She's unconscious but alive."

Lavi can't seem to hide his relieved smile as he kneels down beside her.  
"Lenalee?"

"Easy," I urge, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Remember. We don't know if it's the real Lenalee or the fake."

Lavi looks disturbed, but isn't given time to respond as Lenalee's eyes flutter slightly before she opens them. She blinks, gazing about bleary and confused.

"Hey, Legs, is that you?" I inquire.

"Cas? Lavi?" Lenalee's eyes widen. "Where are Allen and Krory?"

Lavi chuckles. "Well, if the first thing on your mind is the wellbeing of your friends, then I guess we've got the real one."

I nod distractedly as I turn to look behind me, back out at the stretching desert.  
"If we've got the real Lenalee than that means that Allen and Krory went after the fake."

"Then we-we have to help them," Lenalee exclaims as she struggles to sit up. She suddenly cries out, gripping her arms as she folds in on herself

"Lenalee, what's wrong?" Lavi asks, dropping down next to her and placing his hands on her trembling shoulders. "Did that Akuma do something to you?"

"I-I don't think so. My body just feels numb." She winces, her grip tightening around her arms.

"There's no way she'll be able to fight like this," I observe.

Lavi nods. "Yeah. Come on, Lenalee; don't worry about a thing. I'm gonna take good care of you."  
Smiling warmly, the young Bookman picks the limp girl up in his arms and carries her over to the Scotts Pine where's there's ample shade. He lays her down, propping her up against the trunk just as her head droops, and she slips under again.

I hang back, turning back towards the open desert.  
"Lavi, I'm going to go after Krory and Allen. They need to know that the real Lenalee is safe and that they're after the fake. Do you think you can look after her by yourself?"

Lavi grins. "Of course! Don't worry, I completely understand. You need to keep _your_ Allen safe. Don't you-Ow!"

"Whatever you heard, keep it to yourself!" I spat, retracting the Blood whip as I turn from them. "Now activate your stupid Hammer, so I can get over to them quicker."

"Fine. Fine. Geez, you know what they say about Germans and temper" Lavi grumbles, massaging his head as he plants his Hammer into the ground.

It grows to a size I can stand on. "If you drop me, I swear to Christ, Bookman, I will rip off your-"

"Grow! Grow! GROW!"

I shriek as the Hammer erupts up into the air, me scrambling as I hang on for dear life.  
"LAVI! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

I manage to get my bearings as I swore over the desert. I scan the sands rippling below me and soon spot the tracks of some large, many legged creature scuttling along the ground followed by heavy boot prints.

I gingerly swing myself off the Hammer handle and drop to the ground, scattering dust. I glance up in time to see the handle retracting, Lavi having probably sensed the shift

I'm on my own know.

I grit my teeth and take off running, following the tracks towards a rocky formation on the horizon.  
If I'm right…If that hot feeling from earlier means what I think it means, that Lavi and Allen are in a whole lot of trouble.

* * *

I reach the caves just as the sun is beginning to dip below the horizon, sapping the color out of the sky. I scramble over the threshold of the largest cavern, my Blood pumping furiously in my ears.

I hear an explosion erupt from somewhere within the darkness, and it makes me run faster.

A high-ceilinged cavern unfolds within me, lit by the moist crystals growing from the walls, floor and ceiling.

The spider Akuma cackles gleefully as its legs twitter, its many eyes shining with malice as it strikes out with dozens of milky webbings. Krory knocks them aside, ripping through the threads with his teeth.

Allen, meanwhile, is off to the side, holding Lenalee in his arms.

Wait, that's not…

"Allen!" I scream as I bolt into the cavern.

He looks up in surprise. "Cas?"

"That's not the real Lenalee!" I exclaim as I rush towards him. "Lavi and I found her. She's the imposter!"

The fake Lenalee's eyes suddenly snap open, and she jumps away from Allen.

He scrambles to his feet, readying his weapon, but she pays him no heed.

She looks at me and her eyes flash.

I freeze. "What…?"

Something hot and sticky suddenly wraps around my legs. I give a cry as my feet are pulled out from under me.

More threads encircle my body, moist and scalding my skin. I yell, struggling as I'm dangling upside down within the webbing of the spider Akuma.

My eyes widen as my view is filled with the creature's laughing face: the many eyes burning into me, the shark-like teeth, and the legs: small, clicking, twittering legs, crawling, clawing, reaching towards me.

I scream. "No! No! Get away from me!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see another cluster of webbing pinning Krory on his back to the ground, one of the many Akuma's legs pinning him down for good measure.

 _Krory!_

I have to get to him.

But I can't move; I can't activate my Weapon. I can't tear my eyes away from the face, the legs, the teeth.

Chewing, chewing on my insides.

I scream again, hot panic bubbling up in my chest.

The Akuma giggles, enjoying my pain.  
"Now, which one of you shall I eat first?" One of its legs reach out to caress the side of my face. I feel it touch the scratch from earlier.

It burns.

"No! No! NO!" My thoughts are screaming as I jerk and struggle pitifully. I can't…I'm flashing back, remembering burning eyes and black legs crawling around inside me.

"Cas!"

I hear Krory. I squeeze my eyes shut, heat behind my eyes.

The Akuma suddenly lets out a gurgling shriek. I open my eyes a fraction of the amount to see that Krory has sunk his teeth deep into the black flesh of the leg pinning him down. The webbing dissolves as he drinks its master dry. The creature wimpers as its absorbed, its body shriveling before it fully breaks away and crumbles.

A gasp catches in my throat, the webbing falls away. The cold air of the cave feels like ice against my scalded skin.

I fall, streaking towards the stone floor.

A large shape suddenly closes around my body, gripping my torso firmly but gently.

I open one eye to see Allen is looking up at me, his Innocence arm encircling my body.  
"I've got you, Cas!"

I choke, feeling like there's hot needles under my skin.

Allen slowly lowers me to the ground, his arm retracting as he deactivates it in a pale green flash.

I curl onto my side as my legs fold into my chest; I'm shaking horribly and there's an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach.  
I choke, clapping a hand to my mouth as bile burns in my throat. I roll onto all fours and throw up on the cave floor. I half expect black butterfly wings to be mixed in with the puddle of sick.

I stand on my hands and knees, gasping and wheezing as I try to get a hold of myself.

"Cas," Allen's arms are around my shaking shoulders as I struggle for breath. "Cas, it's alright. It's going to be okay."

I try to speak, but I just cough instead.

"Allen! The imposter!" Krory callas as he hurries over to us.

I glance up in time to see the fake Lenalee escaping into the deep darkness further into the cave.

"We have to go after her," Allen declares. He turns to me, "Can you stand?"

"I think so."

I try to get up, but stumble heavily. Allen grabs my arm and throws it over his shoulder.  
"Come on," He says before hurrying from the cavern, down the tunnel after the Lenalee lookalike, pulling me along with him while Krory runs behind us.

The dark tunnel seems to stretch on for miles. We run along it with nary and interruption until milky light bleeds through the darkness.

We hurry towards it and come out in a wooded clearing on the other side o

Everything is still and deathly silent.

Krory scans the trees, his blackened eyes narrowed. "She got away."

"I just wish I knew who she was," Allen says through gritted teeth.

My stomach clenches. "I-I think I might have an idea."

Allen and Krory both look to me in surprise.

"I think she might have been that Noah that we met in Istanbul: Lulu Bell."

Krory raises an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

I bite my lip. "I can't really explain it, but there's like this feeling I get when I encounter Noah. It took me a long time to realize it, but it's like a chill that turns into a hot feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like I'm going to be sick."

Allen's eyes widen. "Then those tremors you kept getting earlier were from the Noah following us?!"

I nod grimly. "Yeah. Probably." I grit my teeth, "I just wish I'd realized it sooner. I'm sorry. I came to help you guys, but all I did was-" I trail off as a wave of dizziness passes over me.

"Cas!" Allen cries as my legs give out under me. He grips me to keep me from falling to the ground completely. "Cas, what happened?"

I shake my head. "It's nothing. It's just, the venom in those threads, my body had to expel it all at once. I think I'm…I think I'm just tired."

Allen looks relieved. I, on the other hand, feel horrible.

Krory, meanwhile, is gazing out at the trees.  
"Allen? Do you have any idea where we are?"

Allen's head snaps up. He looks about him before sighing, shaking his head.  
"Not a clue."

"Not to mention I don't know how to get back to Lenalee and Lavi from here," I say quietly.

Allen looks up at Timcampy flapping above our heads. "I don't think we'll be able to contact them from this area anyways. The rocks will cause too much interference."

As he speaks, thunder suddenly rumbles over our heads.

I whimper.

Really?

More rain?

Krory looks up at the darkening sky just as the first few steely drops alight around us.

"Allen, I'm going to take Timcampy and try to find some higher ground, perhaps I can contact Lavi if I do. You see to Cas. Find some place to take shelter."

Allen nods in understanding as the faux vampire then turns and disappears into the trees, Timcampy trailing behind him.

He then turns to me. "Cas," he reaches out to me. I feel his hands against my chest, and I jerk back almost instinctively.

With a cry, I tumble backwards off my knees and land on my back, smacking my head against the grass.

I scramble, gasping heavily as I grip my chest. It heaves beneath my fingers as I struggle for breath.

It feels like there are hands inside me, squeezing my lungs.

I can't breathe.

"Cas," I feel Allen lean over me, the tips of his shaggy white hair brush my forehead as he presses his hands to my cheeks. "Cas, look at me. Open your eyes."

I hesitantly obliged.

"Cas, it's okay. Look at me. it's alright. It's going to be okay. You're safe. You're going to be okay."

I gulp, taking in mouthful after mouthful of air, but I can't seem to get enough.

Around my head, the rain pounds the ground harder and harder.

My chest hurts.

I swallow.

"Allen…"

My eyes water slightly and a trickle of red runs down my face, stinging the scratch under my left eye.

Allen smiles reassuringly as he brushes a few strands of hair off my face. He feels my forehead.  
"You're hot. You have a fever. Come on; we need to get you out of the rain."

As though to prove his point, the storm surges faster. The cold water stings my scalding cheeks.

I wince.

"Alright. Hang on."  
I make a small noise of surprise as Allen heaves me off the ground, cupping one hand around the small of my back and hooking the other under my legs.

I gawk up at him as turns towards the trees, scanning them for any sign of shelter.  
He catches my gaze and smirks. "I'm stronger than I look, Cas."

I find I can't answer. I feel dizzy.

As Allen starts walking, jostling me slightly as he does so, I let my head fall against his shoulder. His hair tickles my nose. He smells like soap and ash.

My long legs drape absurdly over his arm, brushing against the ground with each step he takes.

If I were in a better mood, I might have laughed at the absurdity of all this.

After a time, Allen finds a low cave, half sunk in the dirt with a fallen tree partially obscuring the entrance, so he has to stoop to get us both through the door.

Thunder rolls over our heads, followed by the crack of lightning. I grimace, closing my eyes as we duck inside.

The cave is cramped but dry. The walls are made of rough black stone and the ground is packed dirt.

Allen gently leans me against the side of the cavern before taking off his coat and spreading it out further into the cave. He then comes back over and helps me to my feet. I lean on him heavily, dragging my feet as he helps me over to the makeshift bed.

I drop down on my knees as he grips my shoulders, sliding off my cloak. I fall on my side, and Allen drapes my cloak around me like a blanket.

"Comfy?"

I don't answer. I wrap my arms around my torso and pull my knees into my chest, turning towards the wall.

I feel Allen's tentative fingers brush against the back of my head before they suddenly retract.

I jerk my head as I hear him step away; I see him going over to the fallen tree over the entrance, yanking some of the smaller branches free.

He carries the sticks into the middle of the cave.

"Here," I sit up, fishing around in my pocket before I hold my lighter out to him.

"Thanks." He takes it, and lights a flame. It consumes the kindling almost immediately, and the cave is instantly warmed.

I watch the flames, looking into their silent light, rippling in waves of gold.

Gold eyes looking down at me from a dark face as hands caress the deepest parts of my body.

I start humming rather loudly, trying to drown out the silence.

Because, when there's silence, my thoughts attack me, and they'll eat me alive.

"I've heard that song before," Allen remarks as he stokes the flames with some roots and dead grass carpeting the cave floor. "You sang it to me in the Rewinding Town."

"Oh. Yeah, I did."

"Where did you learn to sing, Cas?"

I avert my eyes from the fire, scanning the shadowed hovel. "In Church. My mother insisted I join the choir."

Allen snorts. "I can't really see you doing something like that."

I shrug. "It wasn't horrible."

"Did you learn that song there then?"

"No. It's not a hymn. I first heard it during my travels while I was training to become an Exorcist. This woman named Annie taught it to me."

"Annie? Was she a friend of yours?"

I flush. "Uh, you could say that. She performed the song as part of her act."

"Her act?"

"She was a burlesque dancer."

"Ah."

This conversation feels hollow.

I lie back down and turn away from the flames, watching the golden shadows lick the walls above my head.

"Cas," I hear Allen come over and sit down next to me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I squeeze my eye shut, my arms constricting my waist as I shrink into myself under my cloak.  
"I'm sorry," I finally say. "I came to try and help you guys, and I only ended up getting in the way. Because of me the Noah got away. I'm sorry."

I feel Allen reach out and touch the top of my head, rubbing his thumb in comforting circles through my hair.

I open my eyes and look at him over my shoulder.  
He smiles. "It's okay, Cas. Really."

I shake my head, shying from his grip. "I froze, Allen. I just freaked out because of some lousy Akuma. That's never happened to me before! That can't happen ever again. I can't freeze like that in the middle of a fight when everyone's relying on me."

"Cas, you're being too hard on yourself," Allen asserts.

I turn away from him, blinking rather heavily.

"Cas, there are times when we are afraid, and we let it get to us, but I know I can rely on you. We all have moments like that, but we just need to move past them and fight harder next time."

I feel his hand continue to stroke the back of my head.  
"And Cas," I sense him move closer, and I can feel his breath against my neck. "You can rely on me."

I feel a tightness in the pit of my stomach, some strange sensation that I can't name. It oddly makes me feel better.

I reopen my eyes. "Yeah. I know."

Allen laughs quietly as his fingers continue to twine through my hair. They brush the back of my neck, and I stiffen somewhat.

"Sorry. You had a bit of Akuma stuck in your hair. Did that hurt?"

"No. It just kind of tickled."

"Oh? Did it?" There's a strange edge to Allen's voice; I'm halfway turned towards him when I feel his hands go against my neck, wiggling them as playful smile brushes across his face.

My body seizes and I shriek, flailing and kicking through peals of laughter as Allen's hands move to my stomach, tickling me furiously.

"Gah! A-Allen. S-Stop!" I cry breathlessly through giggles.

I jerk my body, trying to evade him. "Allen!"

SMACK!

Allen jumps back with a cry of surprise and pain.

I sit up, eyes wide, to see his hand is clasped over his mouth and nose.

"Oh, Allen; I'm so sorry," I exclaim, scooting closer to him, my hands hovering over his face. "I didn't…It was an accident. I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," he assures me, slowly lowering his hand. "You pack quite a wallop, but I suppose I already kind of knew that." He tilts his head back just as a drop of blood alights on his upper lip. "Is it bleeding?"

I grimace. "Yeah."

Allen smirks. "Easy fix though, right?" He makes a fist and thumps my chest.

I blink "Huh? Oh, right." I then bite into my index finger. Allen moves a little closer. I grasp his chin and hold the digit over his head, carefully angling it so the thin rivet of Blood falls across his nose.

Allen closes his eyes as the Blood seeps into his skin.  
"Thanks."

"No problem." I sigh dejectedly as I slump against the back of the cave. "I can't seem to do anything right today, can I?"

"Hey," Allen pokes me in the forehead. "Stop that."

"Sorry," I murmur, averting my eyes.

He cocks his head to the side. "Do you want me to tell you a story to get your mind off it?"

I blink, surprised. "Uh. Sure."

"Okay then," Allen picks up my discarded cloak and drapes it around me as I stretch out on my back, staring up at the cold dark stone of the cave as the rain drums against it. Allen sits at my feet, drawing up his knees as he leans his head against the wall. He closes his eyes, pausing for a minute before he begins.

"This is the story of a little boy named Red. When he was a baby, he was abandoned by his parents because his left arm was shriveled and deformed."

I start, jerking my head towards Allen in surprise.

"The boy spent the first few years of his life on the streets. He didn't know his birth name, so everyone called him 'Red' because of his red hair. He moved from town to town, place to place, working for scraps and places to stay. it was a difficult life. The boy became angry and harsh; he masked his fear, his sadness behind his rage."

I'm looking at Allen as he speaks, his eyes are closed and his expression calm. However, I see a glint of something across his features, something dark and mysterious, something I'd only seen in passing before. An angry little boy, hardened by a life of uncertainty and abandonment.

It's alarming, but also strangely comforting.

"Eventually, Red found himself working at a traveling circus: setting up tents, cleaning the stables and other chores like that. It was hard work, made harder by some of the performers. They'd drink a lot and that would make them angry. One of the strongmen in particular. Red would often find himself on the receiving end of his drunken rampages. His face would often be covered in bruises, matching the grime from the stables and the yards. However, he did find someone kind. There was a dog, a dog that belonged to one of the performers. He was old and sick with tired eyes and a lame leg. But he was sweet, and he made Red laugh and smile when he licked his bruises and his shriveled arm that no one else would touch."

Allen pauses; his eyes are still closed, but I can see his thoughts are heavy against his face.

"However, one day, one cold winter day, Red couldn't find the dog. He looked for him in the tents and the stables, but he couldn't find him. Eventually, he came to the edge of the yard and spotted a clown sitting under a tree. He was all done up in white and colors, but he wasn't smiling. Clowns are supposed to smile. Red came closer only to see that the clown is sitting beside a little mound of dirt under the tree. A ball was resting on top of it, it was the dog's ball. Red knew in that moment that the old dog had died. He asked the clown if the dog belonged to him. He said it did, so Red asked why he wasn't crying. Wasn't he sad? The clown said he couldn't cry anymore, that all of his tears had dried up long ago. So Red sat down next to the clown and tears fell from his eyes. He didn't know the dog as well as the clown probably did; he only saw it occasionally, but he was sad, because the dog had been kind to him and had touched his hand when no one else would. And so the boy cried, and the crown tried to make him laugh."  
Allen chuckles, "But he wasn't very good at it. Eventually, it got too cold with the night and the snow. So the clown said: 'let me take you home with me'. Red agreed. As the clown carried him home on his back, he asked Red asked what his name was. 'My name is Mana Walker,' the clown replied, 'What is yours?'  
'I don't have one,' Red had replied.  
'Then I shall call you Allen. That was my dog's name.' And so he did, and the boy stayed with the clown for many years, and they traveled together, and they were happy."

Allen finishes his story, and I almost don't realize he's stopped speaking.

I'm sitting up, my cloak having fallen away from my hot body, pooling around my knees, staring at him like I'm seeing him for the first time.

He opens his eyes, and they rest on me.

I don't say anything, just keep looking at him, shadowed in the metallic light of the storm roaring outside and the yellow hues of the fire before us.

As our eyes meet, he smiles.

In that moment, he looks beautiful to me in a twisted, broken kind of way.  
Like a shattered stained glass window.

He's as damaged as me, maybe more so in some ways, less so in others. The scars upon his face match the scars upon my soul.  
That kind of resonance, soul on soul, I feel it in that moment.

Allen Walker is so beautiful.

Slowly, I sit up on my knees and crawl over to him. He raises an eyebrow in surprise as I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my face against his shoulder, inhaling that ashy soap smell as I hold onto him tightly.

Allen laughs lightly. "Hey, I'm supposed to be comforting _you_."

"Shut up and hug me, damn it."

Allen's hands move to wrap around my shoulders as I bury my face in the crook of his neck. After a moment, I rear back so that I can look at his face, tilting my head to the side as I observe the features I'd practically memorized.

First in Bloody dreams and then in shadowed days and brightly lit nights full of noise and laughter and fire and pain and happiness and feelings I thought I'd never experience again.

All of that wrapped up in white hair and silver eyes and a tragically beautiful crimson scar.

"Cas?"

I shake off the notion, grinning as I reach up and twist a lock of Allen's pale hair around my finger.  
"So, you used to be a red head?"

He chuckles. "Yeah."

"Like me."

"You wear it better."

I snort. "I can't really imagine you with it. White hair just suits you so well."

Allen lips part in surprise. "Thank you, Cas."

I laugh, ruffling the alabaster strands. "Cream puff."

A loud clap of thunder startles us both. I jump, my grip instinctively tightening on Allen's coat as I grimace.

He looks at me. "Don't like thunder?"

I shake my head, pulling away from him and sitting back on my heels.  
"I don't like rain. It always makes my chest hurt. I don't think Innocence likes storms that much."

Allen looks thoughtful. "You know; my arm tends to tingle a bit when it rains as well. I suppose that would make sense."

He holds up his left hand, and I can see the ruddy fingers are trembling slightly. "Yeah. See?"

I don't respond as I reach out and unfolding my fingers, press my palm to Allen's, spreading my fingers into a fan to match his. Allen's own fingers stop a noticeable amount from mine, his hand dwarfing in my own.

"Look at how much bigger my hand is than yours."

"I guess I have little hands."

"You really don't. I just have man hands."

"You do not."

I smile slightly, letting my hand slide from his. He stops me, gripping my fingers.  
"Do you feel better, Cas?" Allen looks at me earnestly.

I nod. "Thank you, Allen, for sharing that with me."

He smiles. "Of course."

I look down at his fingers gripping my own. "I wish I'd known him: Mana, I mean."

"I think he would have loved you."

I glance up in surprise. "You think so?"

"I know so."

My cheeks flush somewhat.

A stormy wind batters against the cave, disturbing the fire, and the shadows dance faster across the walls.

"I hope Krory's alright," Allen remarks.

"I don't think he'll be able to contact Lenalee and Lavi in this," I add.

Allen nods in agreement. He then looks down, sees he's still holding my hand, and quickly pulls his own back, blushing furiously. "Anyways, it looks like we'll be here for a while. You should get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."

"Yeah. I will," I relent, falling back down against Allen's coat spread out on the cave floor. He sits up on his knees and pulls mycloak further over me. I turn away from the fire as the wind disturbs it again, spraying sparks across the cave floor.

I feel Allen's hand on my head again; it's his left one, and its warm like it's a slightly higher temperature than the rest of his body.

"Good night, Cas."

I close my eyes. "Goodnight, Allen."

* * *

A/N: THE FLUFF! THE FLUUUFFF! I'm trying to get as much of it in as possible before the Fallen Arc because, well…Never mind. Anyways, leave a review at the door and thanks by the way for over a hundred of those! Each one is so near and dear to my heart:)  
See you all next Tuesday!


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Whatever XD

* * *

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I turned into Sanji when the fluff came into play~ ahh~ when you mentioned him, I was like "Cas is basically his and Shanks' lovechild". Speaking of Cas' long legs, she's make one hell of a pole dancer (and Allen would want to be the pole so she can wrap her legs around him lol). And if she ever wore a pencil skirt or a changpao, Allen would probably due because dem legs man~! Add in her flexibility and Allen would be in heaven... though I gotta say, I started thinking how sweet (and a bit twisted) how Allen just accepted Mana naming him after the dead dog... it just really shows how strange Allen really is, and how /starved/ he was for human affection back in his Red days...

A: Aww! I'm glad you liked the fluff. OH MY GOD YOU'RE RIGHT! Cas IS the love child of Sanji and Shanks! That's hilarious. Cas as a pole dancer…that's not an entirely impossible thing to imagine. I think Allen would enjoy that. Who knows? Perhaps Allen will get a *demonstration* of Cas's flexibility further down the line…  
Yeah, I found that weird too, but I think you put it best in saying that Allen was just glad someone finally loved him. I think his relationship with Mana is very interesting and I want to know more about it (HINT, HINT MANGA!) Anyways, thanks for reviewing again, I always appreciate it:)

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: At least there's pain before ... Ahem... Pleasure ... Ahem ... Anyways, I can't believe you just gave Cas Arachnophobia, of all the things :)  
But it all made sense, since well... You also gave her acute stress disorder, as well (cannot be classified PTSD since its duration is shorter than one month) and that ain't something easily managed. Will Allen be able to use his snowballiness to cure her? :D  
And the FLUFF. Not actually a fluff, kinda like hurt/comfort/romance. And to do that while leaving Krory in the rain, too. You two are CRUEL, Casallen XD  
Be waiting for next chaps with great interest :)

A: Pleasure, ha ha. It actually wasn't intended to be arachnophobia but rather a fear of insects in general stemmed from the Tease. Cas is pretty traumatized; that's a sound diagnosis, but to be honest, you could probably diagnose Cas with multiple things. We need a bellhop for all this baggage. Yeah, the fluff was kinda angsty; I couldn't help myself. I like angst. Well, yeah, Krory was being Krory and being a pushover, but hey, he did volunteer.  
Glad to hear it; I think you'll enjoy the Fallen Arc. There will be pain.

From: Above the clouds 0  
Q: Oh my god, please just kiss already! Overall that was a great chapter. I can't wait for more!

A: You sound like Lavi XD Sorry, you'll have to wait a while yet. Thanks so much; I'm glad you enjoyed!

From: KijoKuroi  
Q: Congrats on over 100 reviews! Also yaaay the fluff! I enkoy the fluff. Poor Cas though, ptsd can be really rough. But she has Allen to help her get through it! Thanks for the chapters

A: Yes, Cas is very lucky to have Allen, and you are very, very welcome:)

From: animexxfreakxx  
Q: I must say it has been awhile since I read IDB but I'm glad I'm back and must I say your writing has improved hun!  
You've come a long way and yeah you have some more way to go but I'm in love with your writing by now and I'm in love with Cassandra!  
I'm a little wary about her innocence and I hope to dear Lord it isn't what I think it is... but at the same time I kinda hope it is what I hope it is? Ugh I'm confused about that lol  
I am shipping her so hard with Allen though! He's just so cute and I find his behavior around Cas to be adorable and just like Lavi I find myself shouting Just kiss dammit!  
I'm embarrassed to say I found the part with her and Tykki to be um... hot? Lol and Lulu bell's reaction though!  
I wonder... what's gonna happen to Cas after Allen had to go recover? Eepp! And her reaction to the 14th ughh! Can't wait  
Congrats on 100 reviews btw! Good writing!

A: I'm so happy you're back, and I'm ecstatic that you think I've improved. That means a lot:D I'm so happy you enjoy this fic and Cas so much.  
I'd love to hear your theories on her Innocence (you might very well be on the right track :P)  
Another convert to the Callen ship, I see. Glad to hear it.  
There's nothing to be embarrassed about; that scene was supposed to be hot, and Tyki is sexy (*swoons*).  
Well, the Fallen Arc is coming up, so you'll see what I have in store there. Also, to be honest I await the latest manga updates with bated breath not only so I can find out what happens but also so I can plan out more scenes between Cas and Neah. Their interactions are quite enjoyable.  
Thanks again so, so much!

* * *

Chapter 34: The Wandering Stone Statue

* * *

I feel…warm.

My eyes flutter open to meet the black stone roof of the cave. A slight tilt downwards shows that milky sunlight is pouring through the partially obscured entrance.

I spy Krory on the other side of the fire, now nothing but a pile of ashes. He must have come inside while I was sleeping.

My brow furrows.

Why do I feel so warm?

It's not the burning of the spider's venomous web or the lingering fever from yesterday.

This is soft…This is pleasant.

Something shifts directly beside me. I finally turn my head, and my eyes widen to see Allen is curled up next to me under my cloak, which is still acting as a blanket. His head is resting in the crook of my shoulder, snoozing quietly with his arms wrapped around my torso.

"Augh!" I scream, startled as I pry myself free and scoot away from him, pressing against the cave wall.

Allen jerks awake, sitting bolt upright and snapping his head from side to side.  
"What? What is it? An Akuma? A Noah? What?"

I slump against the rock. "No. Just surprised at the snuggling."

Allen pales. "I was…? I'm sorry!" he quickly exclaims, his shoulders drooping. "I just got cold."

I gesture to his coat that we're both still sitting on. "You could have taken your jacket back."

"Well, you were sleeping on it."

I roll my eyes as I heave myself to my feet. "Always the gentleman."

"You're not mad, are you?" Allen demands as I bend down to retrieve my cloak, tossing it over my shoulders

"As a matter of fact," I purposely trail off and catch Allen's downcast expression out of the corner of my eye. "Ah, I'm just kidding!" I exclaim as I swoop down and gather up him under one arm, digging my fist through his hair with the other. "I could never stay mad at you, you adorable little cinnamon roll!" I say as I continue to noogie him.

Allen strains, wriggling in my grasp as I lift him off the ground, his legs kicking wildly.  
"Gah! No, Cas! Put me down! Ah!"

We're interrupted by Krory groaning in his sleep, falling face first into the dirt and waking himself up.  
"Ah! Where-? When-? What's going on?!" he cries, jumping up and looking around wildly.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," I say to him, grinning as I let Allen fall from my grasp. He drops to the ground with an 'oof'. "You were sleeping pretty hard there."

Krory's shoulders slump. "I apologize. I was just so tired."

"It's alright, Krory," Allen assures him.

I look between the two of them. "Judging from us spending the night in this hole in the ground, I'm guessing you couldn't contact the others."

Krory nods sadly. "Between the storm and the rocks, there was no chance."

"I guess we'll have to try again now that it's clearer," Allen declares as he picks himself off the ground, rubbing his head.

"Then let's get moving," I announce, fishing around in my pocket until I pull out my scally cap. I sniff my sleeve as I do so. "Ugh. I need a shower; I smell like Akuma."

* * *

We make our way between the cliff sides, walking along the narrow passages that twist and wind seemingly endlessly through the rocks.

Allen and Krory walk a little ahead of me, each one holding their golems aloft in an attempt to make contact with our comrades. However, neither of them picks up anything other than static.

I lag behind, not able to help them as I'd lost my golem during the battle in Barcelona. I instead focus on braiding my hair.

"It's still not working," Krory announces, staring dejectedly at his little black golem.

I'm not surprised; if Timcampy can't get a signal, there's no way a standard Order-issued golem would.

Allen sighs. "At this point, we might be too far away from Lenalee and Lavi."

"What should we do then?" Krory inquires.

"Keep moving. We need to contact them as soon as possible."

"I bet if we could get out of this valley, we could get a single," I proclaim.

I jump when a loud gurgling suddenly reaches my ears.

Allen looks sheepish. "Sorry. I'm starving."

His stomach's complaints remind me of my own's emptiness, and I grimace. I need about four times the calories of a normal person on the daily. If Allen and I don't eat soon, we won't be able to activate our Weapons if we're attacked."

I grip the brim of my cap, pulling it further down my brow. "Let's keep moving."

* * *

It's slow going; the ground is uneven and the many slopes are hazardous.

I grit my teeth, trying not to look down as Allen, Krory, and I all shimmy along a narrow ledge, our backs pressed against the wall.

The wind whips my long braid around my head, and Timcampy tumbles through the air

Beside me, Krory shrieks, making me almost lose my balance. I dare to turn slightly in his direction to see he's knocked a bit of the edge loose, sending the broken stones tumbling down into oblivion below us.

The faux vampire whimpers. "I'm going to fall."

"Get a grip," I assert firmly. "What did I tell you about looking down?"

Krory nods, sniveling slightly.

"Hey," I smile reassuringly as I reach out and gently take his hand. "It's going to be alright. We'll get out of this mess."

"I-" Krory takes a deep breath. "I know."

"Good. Now come on."

"You guys alright back there?" Allen calls from ahead of us.

"Yeah," I reply, moving closer to him.

Behind me, Krory suddenly stumbles again, falling into me.

"Shit! Fuck!"

I lose my balance and fly forward.

Krory grabs the end of my cloak, but not before I knock Allen over the side.

He screams.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" A burst of panic sears my insides as my arms shoot out to wrap around his waist and pull him back to safety.

I crush him against my chest, holding him as far away from the edge as possible.

Allen grips the folds of my cloak, breathing heavily.

I feel slightly lightheaded. "Okay. I'm good with the snuggling now."

"Are you two alright?" Krory whimpers. "I'm so sorry."

"No harm done," Allen assures him, stepping away from me. "We just need to move a little slower from now on."

Krory nods in understanding.

So, we push on.

A few minutes later, we round a corner and the area opens up into a secluded but vast valley. Shielded on all sides by the mountains is a tiny village nestled in the center of the basin.

"It's a village," Krory exclaims in surprise.

"Kind of an odd place for one, but I'm not complaining," I add.

"Let's get going. We might be able to get in touch with Lenalee and Lavi from down there," Allen urges, so we continue on down the slope.

* * *

The village is a simple but quaint little settlement.

The streets are lined with ancient shrines that stand as monuments to the Persian Empire, now nothing but crumbling ruins. There don't appear to be any people about; aside from the clucking of chickens, the streets are silent.

"You're right, Cas; this is an unusual place for a village," Allen remarks.

"But I'll bet someone here will know how to get across the valley," Krory proclaims.

"Yeah, and where to get some food," I add.

Allen sighs forlornly at the thought. "I hope so."

A loud 'bang' makes all of us jump.

"What was that?" Krory cries.

The noise is followed by the sounds of people shouting.

"Come on." Allen takes off running in the direction of the commotion with Krory and me close behind.

We turn the corner that leads to a square in time to see several man throw a raggedy looking boy against the wall. He gasps as his head collides with the stone.

"Just tell us!" one of the men barks at the boy, "What did you do with the statue, Salim?!"

"We won't leave you alone until we know," a second man adds, brandishing a pick axe threateningly, "So, unless you want to get hurt, start talking, thief."

"I didn't do it!" the boy called Salim insists, "You have to let me explain-."

"Explain what?" a third man snaps, "Everything you say is a lie."

"No! I'm not lying!"

"Stop it!" cries a young girl with brown pigtails standing in the crowd that has gathered around the scuffle. "Leave him alone!"

She's silenced with a moustached man, probably her father, puts a warning hand on her shoulder.

"Don't waste you breathe, Katya," Salim spat at the girl, "I'm sure no one will believe me anyway. Go ahead. Do you worst!"

"Now, now, that hardly seems necessary," I call, alerting the men's attention from Salim as I step forward.

One of the men regards me, his eyes narrow. "Who are you?"

I tip my cap to them, "Just some travelers passing through."

"We don't want any trouble," Krory adds.

Beside me, Allen suddenly stiffens.

"Change of plans," I announce to Krory.

"Show yourselves, Akuma," Allen commands.

After a second, the three men's bodies contort, and the Akuma burst forth from their skins.

Screams rise up from the surrounding crowd as the creatures leer down at us.

Allen's arm activates in a flash of light while a snarl rips from Krory's chest as he rushes forward, teeth barred.

He tears his fangs through the Akuma on the far right while Allen slices his arm through the one in the center. I turn my body to evade the single remaining Akuma's assault as a ribbon of Blood erupts from my arm and slices through its body.

There's a cacophony of explosions and showering ash as the three demons are destroyed.

When the smoke clears, the noises don't cease. Screams rise up from the crowds as they all stand, looking at us with shocked, which faces. They clear out in a matter of seconds.

"Run! They're all freaks!"

"Wait! Don't run away!" Krory calls after them, but they pay him no heed.

Allen sighs. "We're never going to eat."

"What was that?" We turn to see Salim has remained in the square, having fallen to the ground against the wall. He points a shaking finger at us, "Who are you guys? And what are you doing here?"

"It's okay," I assure him, "There's no reason to be afraid."

I survey Salim as he gawks up at me. He's about Allen's age with hard, dark eyes and messy brown hair that's tied back with a silver headband. His clothes are an assortment of bandages and rags, and there's a grisly scar making an X pattern on his left cheek.

All and all, quite the stud.

I hold out my hand, smirking. "Need a hand, handsome?"

Salim gawks slightly but allows me to pull him to my feet.

"You're quite the sight, sweetheart," I add, reaching out to dust off his sooty clothes, "But you wear it well."

Salim flushes.

"Um, I don't mean to interrupt," Krory calls nervously, "But they're coming back."

I turn in time to see the mob from earlier racing back into the square, shouting and brandishing pitchforks threateningly.

"We must kill the monsters, men!" the person in the lead exclaims.

"Let's get out of here!" Allen grabs my hand and yanks me along, Krory close behind us.

"Hey, wait!" Salim follows us as we race back towards the village limits.

The townspeople follow us to the walls, but give up their chase once we cross into the woods.

"Follow me," Sailm say to us as we hurry into the cover of the trees.

The sun begins to slip below the horizon, skimming the upmost branches of the forest as Salim leads us up a vertical pathway.

Eventually, we make it to a clearing that's nestled in a thicket of some dense brambles. The ground is packed down and there's an ashy splotch from a fire in the center of the open space giving the illusion it's been lived in for some time.

Lying on its side beside a tree, there's a large black and white dog with a purple bandana tied around its neck.

"Puppy!" I exclaim.

The dog perks up; with a cheery bark, it leaps to its feet and bounds over to us, jumping towards me and knocking me to the ground. I laugh breathlessly as it stands on my chest, licking every spot on my face it can reach.

Salim smirks. "He likes you."

"I can see that," I reply, sitting up as the dog slides off me and goes over to Salim, nuzzling against his master's leg. The boy scratches his ears halfheartedly.

"Thank you for helping us get away, Salim," Allen says to him.

"No problem," the other boy replies, his smile fading as he kneels down to light a fire. He then goes over to a pack leaning against the tree and pulls out two raggedy dead rabbits. He holds them out to us. "It's not much, but I'd be happy to share."

At this point, I'd eat bugs.

As we watch the rabbit's sizzle on their spit in the fire, Allen inquires of Salim why the villagers were attacking him.

"A stone statue moved by itself?" he gapes as Salim nods solemnly.

"Are you sure?" Krory adds.

"Positive. It's the truth, but since I'm an outsider, no one will believe me. They always think I'm lying to them." He smiles grimly, "Although, I suppose they have good reason."

"Salim, would you please tell us exactly what you saw?" I urge.

He looks to me in surprise before relenting, "It was last night; I'd gotten back to the village late as I'd been hunting in the mountains. I heard this noise…It sounded like gigantic footsteps moving across the ground, and then I saw it: the statue walked right by me. It's impossible, I know. I thought it might have been seeing things, so I followed it into the woods. I watched it slice one of the biggest trees in this forest in half like it was nothing." He gets to his feet and beckons to us. "Come on, I'll show you."

He leads us a short way from the clearing. "Here it is."  
Before us is as massive tree stump, the tree that it had once been must have been hundreds of years old; it would have taken at least eight people to wrap their arms around its girth. However, the tree had seemingly been felled in one fell swoop, cut cleanly in a single blow.

"Even though I saw her do it with my own eyes," Salim shakes his head, "I still can't believe something made of stone could move like that. It is what happened; I did not take the statue!"

"It is an intriguing story," Krory muses, clasping his chin thoughtfully.

"And it's no surprise that ordinary people wouldn't believe such things are possible," Allen adds.

Salim's eyes widen, "Then, do you believe me?"

I nod. "Yes, but right now we're more interested on what exactly it was that made the statue move in the first place. Do you know-"

A twig snapping at my shoulder made me stop cold. A second later, Krory's cape whipped behind a tree.

"What are you doing out here?" he demanded as he reappeared, dragging the pigtailed girl I'd seen in the village out into the open.

"Salim," the girl whimpers.

"Let her go. I know her," the boy urges.

Krory relents. "Pardon me."

We return to the clearing to find that the rabbits have finished cooking, much to our delight.

Allen, Krory, and I all avidly devour the food; I hardly even taste the raw meat going down.

"There's plenty meat, if you want some more," the girl, who's name I remember to be Katya, offers sweetly.

"This is delicious," Krory exclaims through a mouthful of food.

Katya smiles.

"I have a question," I pipe up, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, "Why exactly are you out here to see Salim. I thought all of the villagers were distrustful of him, but you seem to think him credible."

"Odd, isn't it: considering Katya's father is the mayor of said village," Salim snaps. "She's always getting in the way."

Katya drops her eyes, her cheeks reddening.

"The sexual tension is potent," I murmur into my rabbit leg.

Beside me, Allen snorts.

"Speaking of the villagers," Krory interjects, "Why exactly were they so angry the statue was taken? Is it important to them?"

Katya nods. "For a long time now, the people of my village have held the belief that the statue is like our guardian angel, and as long as it was in our possession, our home would always be peaceful, so you can understand why my father and the other men became so worried when it disappeared. Salim said he'd seen it walking into the mountains, and in their fear, they blamed him."

"And what about you, Katya?" Salim snaps, "Do you think I'm a liar too?"

"No! I've always believed in you, Salim!"

The boy drops his eyes, "Don't condescend me."

Katya sighs. "Salim showed up at our village only a short time ago," she explains to us, "My father and the other townspeople don't trust him very much."

Allen nods. "I see. That doesn't help things very much."

"What about you three? What brought you to our village?"

"We only came to ask for directions," Krory explains.

"We're trying to cross through this valley," I add. "Do you happen to know a way to do that?"

"Actually, yes," Salim replies, "Past the village, there's a suspension bridge; if you cross it, you'll be on the other side of the mountains in no time."

Krory beams. "Oh thank you, that's incredibly helpful!"

Allen nods in agreement. "However, I don't think we should be leaving this place just yet."

I raise an eyebrow. "So you're thinking Innocence too?"

"A mythical statue that suddenly starts moving on its own? Akuma appearing in the area where it happened? Yeah, I'm thinking it's pretty likely that's what we're dealing with."

"What's Innocence?" Salim inquires.

"It's something very powerful that causes unexplainable phenomena to whatever it comes into contact with," I explain.

"Whether or not it is Innocence, we have to at least make sure they're aren't anymore Akuma in the area," Allen continues, "Regardless, we have to get to the bottom of this, and we can do that by finding the statue."

"Yes!" Katya exclaims, "And if we do that, we can prove Salim's innocent."

"Just leave it to us," Krory assures her as we all get to our feet. "We owe you both for the meal anyways."

"Salim, which direction did the statue go in the other night? Do you remember?"

The boy nods, standing up as well. He takes a stick from the fire and makes a torch. "It headed further up the mountain. There's a temple up there, perhaps that's where it went. I can show you, if you like."

Allen smiles. "That'd be great."

* * *

So, we begin our curious little trek up the mountain side; the trail isn't as harsh as it could have been due to there being step carved into the rock face. Salim leads us with his dog at his side and Katya trails behind.

"It's this way," the former calls to us, "I'm certain I say the statute take this path."

Allen stops. "Listen, Salim; there's a good chance that there will be more Akuma lurking around near where the statue is. There's a good chance things will get dangerous."

"It would probably be best if you stayed behind," Krory adds.

"I can't do that," Salim insists. "The pathways are narrow and hard to navigate. Without me to guide you, you could get lost, and then where will you be?"

"Salim-" I start, but he cuts me off.

"No! Don't you see? If I bring the statue back to the villagers, then maybe they'll finally start to trust me."

"It's risky," Allen declares.

"I know, but I have to come with you. Please!"

Allen, Krory, and I exchange a glance.

"Alright. Lead the way," I finally say, "But if things get dicey up there, I want you to promise that you'll stay down."

Salim's face brightens. "I will. Thank you, Cas. Now, let's get going!"

"Salim!" Katya call, stopping him. "Just be careful. Okay?"

He looks at her, and his emotions are written all over us face. "Yeah," he says quietly before turning and continuing up the steps, Allen, Krory and I following close behind.

The stairway is old and steep, cast mostly in shadow with only the pale glow of the moon and Salim's torch to guide us.

It moves on a step incline, which makes my hand a little clammy.

I miss a step and my foot slips.  
I gasp, reeling momentarily, but Allen catches my hand and pulls me back.

"You okay?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah."

He winks at me. "Now we're even."

We continue on. The farther up we go, the larger and more jagged the stone formations lining the stairway become.

"These rock formations are incredible," Krory remarks.

"I know. Over the years, the elements have eroded these areas to create these natural patterns," Salim explains. "It's easy to get lost in here, so we have to be careful."

Beside me, Krory suddenly let's out a shriek.

"Shut up!" I hiss, clapping a hand over his mouth.

He whimpers under my palm, pointing behind me with a slightly trembling hand.

I whirl around when a large booming sound reaches my ears.

"There it is," Allen breathe just as a large, shadowed shape slowly moves across the plateau directly below us.

"That's what you saw, Salim?" I inquire.

"That's her. There's no mistaking it."

"Let's follow it, quickly," Krory urges.

We run the rest of the way up the staircase, following the statue's slow, purposeful strides. We trace it to the temple at the top of the mountain. It's a low structure carved into the rock face that is shrouded in shadow, which makes it kind of foreboding.

Just as we reach the top of the steps, we see the statue step inside.

"What should we do?" Krory whispers.

"Try to sneak around it, I guess," Allen replies. "We have to be careful in case it attacks."

After a moment to confirm that the statue had stepped inside, we slowly make our way into the temple.

The interior of the structure is mostly rubble; what used to be elaborate pillars and statues have now eroded away to little more than worn rock.

It's almost complete darkness, broken only by tiny puddles of moonlight that pour through the narrow windows over our heads.

"This place is full of statues," Krory observes as we climb the steps to the main chamber.

"Where do you suppose the one we're looking for is hiding?" Allen adds.

As he speaks, we reach the top of the stairs and the temple opens up into a large circular room. It has no ceiling so the pearly light of the full moon is allowed to flow freely. In the center of the large space is a massive statue of a woman. Unlike the others surrounding it, its polished and well-kept, almost lovingly so. Her face is picturesque, almost godlike, in its beauty. She's draped in an elaborate, although admittedly revealing garment with a carved helmet and a long sword clasped in her hand.

Salim steps. "There she is."

"Well, uh, what do we do now?" I ask.

"I'm going to get a closer look," Allen declares, walking forward towards the high alter the statue is resting upon.

"Do you think that's wise?" I ask after him.

"I'll be fine."

"Be careful, Allen," Krory urges me.

"I will," he says as he scrambles up onto the platform.

As he does so, a familiar hot feeling suddenly courses through my body.

"Allen! It's-" I'm cut off when there's a loud crash and the roof suddenly gives in. Everyone leaps to the side as debris rain down on the center of the room. Through the dust and falling rubble, a horde of Level I Akuma plunge into the room, led by a Level II that resembles a giant moth.

I scream as it swoops over my head, its long legs clicking as its silky wings flutter around it.

Soft wings, tiny legs, crawling, clawing.

I fall to my knees, gasping as my mind is assaulted with images of hands and black butterfly wings. I grit my teeth, my fingers curling around my head as my stomach aches, and I feel like I'm about to either pass out or puke.

Around me, the fight rages. Salim wrestles his barking dog into an alcove, keeping well out of the fight's way. Krory tangles with the Level Is, ripping and tearing through their course flesh.

Allen fires at the Level II as it zips around the room, but can't land his target. Behind him, the statue suddenly moves. It heaves its great sword, as long as my body, and brings it down on Allen's head.

He manages to doge just in time, turning his Weapon to claw form as he twists to parry the next attack. The statue lurches forward, pressing him. Allen's arm trembles as the large weapon bears down on him.

His feet skid as he struggles to hold his ground.

I look at him, at the statue pressing into him. Instantly, I know the source of that hot feeling. Lulu Bell, the Noah that can shapeshift has taken its form, posing as potential Innocence in order to lure us into a trap.

My mind is reeling, flashing between the events in Barcelona and what happened in Istanbul.

I remember what Allen said to me in the cave.

 _I can't…I can't!_

My legs are moving before I've fully realized it. The Level II bears down upon me, its pincers twittering. I knock it to the side, tearing my Blood through it.

 _Don't think about it. Just focus on Allen._

I hear Allen give a cry as the smoke clears; his resolve gives way, and Lulu Bell knocks him onto his back. He sits up just as she raises her sword above her head.

"Allen!"

I'm between them in an instant. I feel the coldness of the stone blade slicing through my body, followed by an explosion of fire as my Blood erupts from the wound.

"Cas!"

I look up to see the statue staring down at me with an empty, expressionless face.

But I can see the shock of the Noah reflected in her eyes.

With a tired smirk, I clasp the blade with one hand and slowly slide it out of me.

Not giving Lulu Bell time to react, I grip the hilt with both hand before I flip upwards and angle my body enough to kick her square in the jaw, coating my feet in hardened Blood as I do so.

There's a crack, and the statue rears back, staggering a few paces away.

I hit the ground harder than I would have liked, my legs giving out from under me. I gasp, gripping the gaping wound in my stomach as it gushes hot, frothy Blood.

I glance up at the statue towering over me.  
"Why don't you show us your pretty face, Noah?"

An explosion goes off over my head, probably Krory destroying the last of the Akuma.

"Cas!" Allen throws himself into me, knocking us both out of harm's way.

I gasp as I hit the ground, my arms flailing as I try to hold my fluids in.

"Cas, are you alright?"

My vision is kind of fuzzy. I look up, blinking rapidly to see that Allen is straddling me, his hand pressing into my wrists as he sits up on my hips.

He's looking down at me, his face full of concern as a trickle of blood trails down the side of his face from where he'd hit his head.

I chuckle. "I'm good. You?"

"Allen! The statue," I glance over his shoulder to see Krory running over to us, "It's gone! Oh..." He trails off when he sees our admittedly compromising position.

"Ah!" Allen's make an adorable choking sound as he lifts up his hands pinning my wrists.

"Hey," I grip his hips to keep him in place as I sit up, leaning forward so our noses almost touch. "Not that I don't appreciate the aggressiveness, but if you wanted to ride me, you could have just asked."

Allen's face turns so red his scar almost disappears.  
Stammering incoherently, he scrambles off me just as Salim and his dog rush over to us.

"Guys! Oh my God…" he stops dead when he sees the thick flow of Blood soaking through my midsection.

"It's nothing," I assure him, not in the slightest succeeding in quelling his horrified expression as I heave myself to my feet. "What happened to Lulu Bell?"

Krory's jaw drops. "What do you mean-? Lulu Bell was here!"

"Yeah. She was the statue," I explain simply. "She shapeshifted into it in order to lure us into a trap."

"But if that was a trick, then where is the _real_ statue?" Krory inquires.

"I know," Salim pipes up, beckoning us over to the alcove he and his dog had ducked into during the attack. He leads us into the shadowed space, which turns out to have a hidden door at it's back.

We follow the boy and his dog down the narrow corridor.  
"It's here," Salim finally stops before a low altar, shining his dying torch across the familiar voluptuous figure of the goddess statue.

"Is this it?" Allen whispers.

Salim nods. "Yes. This is the real one." In the shadowed light of his torch, I see a real, proper smile cross his face for the first time. "This is great! Now peace will return to the village; everyone will be so happy!"

I smile, placing an admittedly Bloody hand on his shoulder, "And it's because of you, Salim; you found it."

He turns to look at me, his smile widening. "Yeah."

* * *

It was a job and a half getting that stupid bitch of a statue down the mountain, but the relief and gratitude of the villagers upon their holy statue's return almost made the ordeal worth it.

A celebration broke out almost immediately throughout the entire village. Food and wine flowed freely through the main square surrounding the statue, now back in her proper place. Her figure is draped in rows of rose garlands, and her polished surface shines in the light of the bonfires.

Music ripples through the air, mixing with the laughter and talking. The scene is all around warm and pleasant.

Allen and I linger for a long time before the buffet table, thoroughly stuffing our faces with everything we can reach.  
When I pause to draw breath, I spy Salim sitting off to the side against the wall with his dog resting beside him.

His expression conveys confusion and maybe that he's a little lost, unsure of how to act now that he's no longer consider an outcast.

A smile forms on my lips as I see Katya melt out of the crowd and move towards her. Salim looks up in surprise as she holds out her hand to him.

After a moment's hesitation, he takes it and allows her to lead him out onto the dance floor, mingling with the other townspeople as they jumped and twirled about in radiant enthusiasm.

I look away from them, a smile of my own lingering on my lips.  
I think Salim and Katya are going to be just fine.

My smile fades somewhat when I see Krory standing next to me; he's also looking at Salim and Katya now dancing around the square together. I feel a deep, intense grief wafting from him, and I know he's thinking of Eliade.

"Hey," I place a hand on his shoulder, and he jerks towards me in surprise. I smile reassuringly, a silent gesture of understanding.

He catches it, and his own mouth turns upward the barest amount.

"We should probably get going," Allen says to us. "Salim says the bridge that leads out of the valley is only a short ways from here. Let's get going now before it's too late, and maybe we can get a hotel on the other side."

"A hotel," I sigh wistfully. "Sleeping on a bed! Taking a shower! That sounds fantastic."

"Well then," Allen makes like he's about to take my hand, but then jerks his own back.

I raise an eyebrow at the gesture.

"Let's get going!" he says hurriedly, throwing up his hood and turning towards the village exit.

Bemused, Krory and I follow.

* * *

"There's something that still bothering me," Krory pipes up as we make our way along a plateau in the direction of the bridge that Salim had indicated to us. "Why did the Noah run off in the middle of a fight? Did she think she couldn't win?"

"That can't be it," I assert, shaking my head. "It really doesn't make sense, does it? I mean, that's twice now that she's let us get away when she very could have easily killed us. She's a Noah; you'd think her top priority would be killing us and destroying our Innocence."

"It makes you wonder if maybe she has something else in mind," Allen muses.

I shoot him a reserved look. "That doesn't sound good."

"Hey! I think that's the bridge!" Krory interjects just as we reach the end of the plateau.

Ahead of us, illuminated by the moon, is a rickety bridge of ropes and planks. It creaks lightly in the wind.

Allen smiles. "Great! Once we cross this, we'll be out of the valley and able to contact Lavi and Lenalee!"

He breaks into a run towards the bridge.

I'm about to follow when a hot feeling sears through me. My eyes widen when I spy a tiny black cat jump down from the suspension of the bridge on the opposite side.

"Allen! Get back!" I snag his hood and yank him back just as the bridge explodes.

The force of the blasts knocks us all off our feet.

I stand up just as the singed ropes and splintered wood crumbles away, leaving the useless remnants trailing in the wind.

"What was that?" Krory exclaims, sitting up with a gasp.

"The bridge," Allen scrambles to his feet. "It's gone!"

"It had to have been the Noah."

I stand up as well, squinting into the darkness across the now destroyed bridge. In the shadows, I catch the familiar black shape of the cat.

"Lulu Bell!" I stand on the edge of the destroyed structure as the smoke swirls around me. "Whatever you have planned, you won't stop us. We'll be ready!"

The cat looks at me, it's yellow eyes glinting in the darkness before it turns and slinks off without another word.

* * *

Several days later, filthy, exhausted, and starving, we finally make our way out of what we later learned is known as the Turkish Valley of Fairy Towers.  
We arrive in the city of Erzincan and quickly locate the hotel that had been pre-booked for us by the Order.

In the lobby, Allen used Timcampy on the public phone to contact Komui, giving him a report on recent events.  
Once that was done, the Chief informs us that Lenalee and Lavi have met up with Bookman and continued on East. They are somewhere in Pakistan at the moment, and he encouraged us to meet up with them in Tibet."

"That's a bit of a trip," I remark as we take the elevator up to our rooms. "Just the thought of it makes my head spin."

"I suppose everything will look better in the morning," Allen remarks, looking like he's about ready to fall asleep where he stands.

Krory appears in a similar state.

I'm exhausted too, but one whiff of my clothing reminds me that my first priority when I get up to the room is a shower.

The arrangements are actually two separate rooms that are connected by a bathroom. The reason for this was because the rooms were booked with all of us in mind, so Lenalee and I would have gotten our own room.

Alas, it's only me; which I don't mind at all.

After taking a ridiculously long shower, I find myself standing in the middle of the balmy bathroom, watching the steam rippling across the glass on the mirrors. The hotel bathroom is rather spacious, laid out with polished brown tile with a hot tub style tub set into the floor.

I fumble with the buttons of my pajama top, feeling my skin burn against the silky fabric.  
Having a part of Lulu Bell pierce through my chest…It has left me ridiculously horny.

This is becoming a problem.

I catch a glimpse of my reflection in the foggy mirror, and the heat instantly flows to different places. My stomach turns as I see the large red scars standing out sharply against my ivory skin.

The one's Mugen gave me to save my life…I don't suppose those will ever heal.

A permanent reminder of the suffering I'd endured and the mistakes I'd made in Barcelona.

"Oh! Sorry, Cas."

I whirl around to see Allen standing in the open doorway. He has a towel draped over his shoulder and is in nothing but his trousers.

I raise an eyebrow.

"I didn't think you-" he drops his eyes, "Didn't you hear me knock?"

"Obviously I didn't," I reply.

Flushing, Allen starts to back out of the room.

"Wait," I take a step forward. "I'll be out a minute, and besides, it's not like you haven't seen me shirtless before now anyways."

"Well, yeah, I have but-," Allen's eyes linger momentarily on the pale gleam of my Innocence heart shining faintly through my skin and reinforced ribs. They then drop down lower to my exposed torso, noticing the scars.

He swallows, and I'm startled at the intense sadness that fills his eyes.

"The sword wound opened them up again," I say quietly, taking another step forward.

"Does it hurt?" Allen asks, cautiously closing the door and moving a little closer to me.

I shake my head. "Of course not." I then look at him, standing in the middle of the humid room. Blood is pooling in his pale face. My eyes drop down from his, trailing almost absentmindedly across his slender torso.

My body burns and my hands go a little clammy. I flex my fingers, my mind becoming cloudier and cloudier with each passing second. A smirk unfolds across my face as I close the space between me and Allen.

He looks up at me, his lips parting slightly.

"Besides," I continue, "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't pulled me out of the way."

Allen's face goes even redder, if that's even possible, at the memory.

"Did you like it?" I ask, twirling a strand of my damp hair around my finger, "I couldn't tell. Your reaction to my proposition, as jokingly delivered as it was, was…confusing." I chuckle as Allen's face goes from red to white almost instantaneously. "Although, if we were to do that…" I trail off as I place my hands on his shoulders.

"Um, Cas…"

"If we were to do that," I repeat, lowering my voice, "It would be a little more like this."

Without warning, I push myself off the ground and wrap my legs around Allen's waist. A yell catches in his throat as I knock him off his feet and sending him falling backward onto the tile floor.

I adjust myself, leaning back as I rock against his pelvis. I survey him, grinning.

Allen looks completely and utterly shocked. He gapes up at me from his prone position on the floor, gasping as though he's about to start hyperventilating.

A titillating blush is spreading across his cheeks, contrasting with his pale hair spread out around the darker tile.

My Blood is pounding, everything feels like a haze. My mind feels disconnected from my body, like my movements come before my thoughts.

"Legs for days, baby," I remark, slamming my hand down on his palms, pinning his arms to the ground.

Allen jerks, gasping.

I lean down closer to him, he shrinks into the floor as I whisper, "Told you I was flexible."

As I speak, I run my hands down his torso, curling one of them along his thigh as I bend it at the knee, trailing my fingers in a tender place.

"C-Cas! S-Stop! What are you-?" Allen cries, seemingly struggling to breathe.

"Shhh," I lean down and brush my lips against the side of his neck. "Let's have a little fun." I grin against his skin before I sink my teeth into the soft flesh.

"Ah! Cas, no! Please, s-stop."

My head snaps up to look him in the eye. He looks terrified.

Instantly, the foggy glass shatters, and I'm rocketed back into clarity.

Horrified, I slide off him and scramble back against the bathtub.

Allen sits up, breathing heavily as his hand goes up to clasp the pinkish-purple bruise beginning to bloom on the spot on his neck. He leans against the bathroom door, staring at me

I can't meet his gaze; I look down at my bent knees as I fold my shaking fingers into fists.

What can I say?

'Lulu Bell makes me horny' probably isn't the best excuse.

"Cas."

I glance up as Allen gets to his feet, still gripping his neck.  
"I'm not your slam piece."

With that, he turns and leaves the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

I'm left stricken, staring open-mouthed at the closed door.

I feel cold.

I squeeze my eyes shut, folding into myself as I rest my head on my knees.

I fucked up.

Royally.

* * *

A/N: I…I don't know how I feel about this. What do you guys think?


	35. Chapter 35

IMPORTANT: Okay, I'm aware there was another review for this chapter; however, it got lost somewhere in the abyss as it did not show up on my page or my email. Currently, reviews are either showing up in email only or not at all. I've emailed support about the problem, so hopefully it'll get fixed.  
Whoever it was that sent the review (because I don't know) thank you very much, and I'm sorry I couldn't respond to your review. If you have any questions that you expressed in that review just PM me;)  
Hopefully the problem will get corrected soon.

* * *

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: Whelp, I liked it? Return of the 'I'm not mentally prepared for this by my body is ready' Allen from two chapters ago. In a much more serious way. He knows her too well, that there was no real feeling behind it other than, well, lust. (Even if she does have feelings for him that she's not aware of yet.) That move was not one made out of love, so yes Cas, you royally fucked up.  
(Also, in the last chapter was it? When they were searching for Krory I'm sorry but I could not help but think of:  
Cas: *Cups hands around mouth* "Eliade is ugly and doesn't deserve love!"  
Krory: "WHAT DID YOU SAY ABOUT MY PRECIOUS ELIADE!?"  
Allen: "There he is."  
Ah, I'm so bad.)  
The next leg of the journey is going to be super awkward and Cas is getting back on the Shame Train x1000. How is she going to make it up to Allen? Anyway, I look forward to the next chapter!

A: Good. I'm glad that I was able to get across those elements in that scene. It was quite a sporadic turn, but something I felt fit within Cas's slightly twisted psyche. At least she's realized at this point that she fucked up; a year ago, she might not have had that capacity.  
Lol! That's super funny and very in character; if Cas had just done that, it would have saved them a lot of trouble.  
Yes, it is going to be rather awkward, and with poor Krory stuck in the middle! I'm glad you enjoyed:)

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: Why does getting stabbed make you H***?  
I was reading the chapter like, you know, "normal", only to laugh my a** off at the few bits. Dammit, you, Allen's already too uke as it was, you don't need to add insults to injury, yo  
FeelsBadMan for Cas, who royally (tried to) f*** (ed up)  
Good chaps and good laughs! :D lookin forward to the next!

A: Well, I kind of implied the reason but to clarify, it's because a part of Lulu Bell (i.e. the shapeshifted sword) went through Cas's body. The contact with the Noah of Lust rubbed off on her.  
Obviously, Cas really needs to get a handle on that.  
I'm glad you found this chapter so funny!  
Well, yes, but Cas is a raging seme so it fits. Hey, who knows? Allen might wear the pants one day; it's a possibility.  
I'm glad you liked it:)

From: I don't have one  
Q: Well now that was an interesting reaction Allen, I wonder what's got your undies in a bunch? Oh, and good story mate, I can't wait for the next chapter

A: Lol. I think we know exactly what was going on with Allen's undies during that scene ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
He obviously wasn't prepared for it, and he realized that Cas wasn't seeing 'him' in that moment, if that makes sense. He said it himself: he doesn't want her to see him as a 'slam piece'.  
Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying this:D

From: YaoiLuvinKitsune  
Q: Hey a threeway ship name between Allen, Cas, and Tyki can be Tasen. Can it please become that?

A: Tasen! Love it! Well, I can't make any promises, but there will be shipping fodder all around.

From: Guest  
Q: I'm curious as to what the Noah (especially Tyki and Lulubell) think of Cas...

A: Well, I think we have a pretty good idea of how Tyki feels about her. If that scene in the alley is any indication. At the very least, his 'white side' is attracted to her.  
As for Lulu Bell, well…that's a little more ambiguous. I personally headcanon Lulu Bell as a lesbian, but that's my own opinion so we'll leave that in the grey area. Otherwise, I can't really see Road liking her considering how she feels about Allen and she hasn't met Skinn, Jasdevi, etc yet, so we'll see…

* * *

Chapter 35: Silver Illusions

* * *

The eggs are runny.

I stir the yellow soup I'm making of my breakfast around its plate, absentmindedly watching the sandstorm thunder against the windows of the hotel dining hall, turning the whole world into a smoky abyss.

My insides feel similar.

I didn't sleep well last night. I just lay on my bed and tried to stave of the urge to empty my full stomach all over the comforter.

I am thoroughly disgusted with myself.

How could I have done that to Allen? Allen: my best friend, whom I respect and whom I betrayed in that moment of physical weakness.

I am about 99 percent sure the kid's a virgin. As if I'd want his first time to be on the bathroom floor of a hotel room and with _me_!

He deserves better than that, then me.

A shiver passes through me, and I slam my fork so hard into the center of my plate that a crack slithers out from under the prongs.

"What did those eggs ever do to you?"

I glance up in time to see Krory slide into the seat across from me.

He looks as tired as I feel: his skin a little paler than usual, accenting the dark circles around his eyes.

I avert my gaze as he plucks a blueberry muffin from the top of the brimming plate and proceeds to pick at it halfheartedly.

"You look tired," I finally grumble.

I glance up to see Krory's giving me a hard stare.  
"What did you do to Allen?"

My mouth drops as my stomach turns a somersault. "P-Pardon?"

"He was crying last night; that's why I couldn't sleep. He wouldn't tell me what was wrong."

"He was…crying?" My own lip trembles somewhat before I bite it and slam my head down on the table.

"Cas, look at me."

I cautiously raise my head to see Krory's fixing me with a dark stare. In that moment, in the way he's looking at me, it becomes blindingly apparent just how much older Krory really is than me.

Since meeting him, his naivety and inexperience with the world has left me viewing him as something of a little brother, but he's actually ten years my senior.

Right now, he looks it.

Krory rests his tired face on his palm, absentmindedly running his tongue along his upper row of fangs.

I gulp.

"Listen, Cas; I have a lot of respect for you, but I also have a lot of respect for Allen. And I know that you feel the same way, which is why it's so baffling to me that you would hurt him in such a manner."

I find myself averting my eyes once more as the sandstorm outside rattles the windowpanes.  
Perhaps Krory's faith in me is misplaced; after all, he'd only known me for about four months.

He doesn't even know about my Innocence heart.

But understanding my actions doesn't excuse them.  
Not in the slightest.

"What exactly happened?"

"I forced myself on him," I whisper to my destroyed breakfast.

Krory slams his hand down on the table. "What?!"

"You heard me."

"But why?! Why would you do that?"

My head snaps up. "Because I am an emotional wreck who constantly feels like her power over her own body is slipping, and so she fucks people to make herself feel like she's still in control but lacks the emotional capacity to develop proper intimacy because her mind is weaker than these stupid eggs."

I slam my fork into my food; it falls with a clatter, spraying yellow goo all over the table.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the other hotel patrons staring at us with looks of alarm.

I ignore them.

Krory closes his eyes; he takes a deep breath.  
"How-How far did you get?"

"Not far," I reply quietly as if it excuses it. "I just felt him up and gave him a hickey, but then he told me to stop, so I did."

"Cas, what in God's name possessed you-"

"Lots of evil things probably," I cut him off, glancing down at my hands. They're still clean and new as I've only had them for a few weeks, and there's a complete disconnect with the rest of my body.

But there are stains now.

"Or perhaps the fault is simply mine."

Before Krory can respond, Allen approaches the table.

I don't look at him, but I catch a glimpse of his face; he looks exhausted: his hair is disheveled and his eyes are red and raw. I also see that the collar of his jacket is pulled up a little higher than usual.

"I'm going to go pack," I tell the floor as I slide past him, giving his body a wide berth, so that not even our clothes touch.

I see him turn to look at me, but that only makes me move faster.

I rush out of the dining room, bumping my hip on a table as I go.

I run into the lobby; the elevator can't come fast enough.

My whole body is aching.

I can't…I can't face him.

I can't even face myself.

* * *

The trip through the Middle East sucks.

And it has nothing to do with the sandstorms.

We're pretty much on a train non-stop for the next two and a half weeks, moving swiftly through smoggy clouds as they buffet the engine slicing through the desert sands.

With the wind and the sands shrouding our transport, masking the sound of its wheels slamming against the tracks, it makes me feel like we're traveling through a void, and there's nothing on the other side.

I sit on a bench with my head on my knees; I try to sleep sometimes, but every time I close my eyes, all I can see is Allen's terrified face as though its burned on the inside of my eyelids.

He sits on the end of the bench, not really speaking either as Timcampy buzzes around his head like an agitated bee around a flower.

Krory is between us, like a mediator.

I don't speak. I really only open my mouth to eat or throw up Blood.

We don't encounter any Akuma.

I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

At least it would be something to break the silence.

The silence brings the noise inside my head.

The noise that started it all, that screamed inside my mind like the never-ending wail of a banshee, echoing within my brain.

It makes my teeth chatter and my hands shake, and it's what spurred me to run, to yell into the darkness, to pound my body against the ground until ever orifice gushed with Blood, desperate to escape the hell inside my own head.

To drink until I couldn't think, to smoke until I couldn't breathe, to fuck until I couldn't feel.

I thought those days were behind me.

When I'd became an Exorcist, the noises no longer came from within my mind; the resounding crescendo of battle and purpose and meaning and companionship outshined them in ever capacity.

But I'd been slipping; I realized that too late; losing myself as I drowned in the Noah's influence: in Tyki's hot lips and Lulu Bell's burning eyes.

Helpless, hopeless; I never seem to know what's happening to my own flesh.

All I've ever had is this body, and I never feel like it's my own.

I close my hand around my silent chest, feeling the burning coldness beneath my cloak's folds.

What's happening to me?

Day nineteen: we reach Nepal.

* * *

What a weird name for a country.  
It sounds like 'nipple'.

We're in a marketplace in a town on the city's boarder. A quick base-touch with Komui informed us that Lavi, Lenalee, and Bookman have been in Tibet for about two days now. They would meet us in a border town once we'd crossed the mountains.

While Allen goes to buy supplies, Krory and I linger next to a stand selling yak's milk, which smells sour and makes my stomach tingle.

I'm sitting with my head in my hands: I also have a horrible headache.

"Oh, you're back, Allen." I hear Krory say, followed by the sounds of heavy backpacks changing hands.

"Here." I glance up to see Allen holding out a large carved walking stick to me.

I cautiously accept it, jerking my hand back when our fingers touch the barest amount.

Allen looks away from me; the bite on his neck has almost healed by now, but I can still faintly see it against his pale skin.

"It's a good thing we finally caught up to Lenalee and Lavi," Krory pipes up, breaking the silence. "I can't wait to see them. It's been nearly a month!"

Allen nods in agreement. "And if the information from the local Finders checks out, we're not that far from finding Master Cross either. If it's true that he's been spotted in China, we're only a few weeks out."

"Let's get going then," Krory exclaims, shouldering his pack and gripping his own walking stick.

"Just a minute," Allen holds up a hand. "Before we go, I think we should find a guide. After all, the quickest way over the border is through the mountains." He gestures to a line of snowy peaks just visible above the rooftops of the village. "I was talking with the people at the hotel, and they said that it would be too dangerous to try and cross the mountains by ourselves."

"Where would we find a guide?" Krory inquires.

"A local shepherd will do. Come on," Allen picks up his own staff and steps into the street, Krory close behind.

I hang back.  
"Hold on." I then bend over and throw up the yak's milk.

* * *

We head out of the city limits and into the fields which are full of sheep and more smelly yaks.  
There are a fair share of shepherds in the area, but none of them seem willing to escort us over the Himalayas.

"What do you mean it's 'impossible'?" Allen demands of the fifth one we talk to.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid it's far too dangerous to cross the mountains right now. I know it looks calm, but there's a storm coming. If you try to cross now, you won't survive the trip."

With that, the man walks off.

"Wait!" Allen calls after him. "When will that be?"

"Three days to a week," the man replies without turning around. "Perhaps longer."

"Well," I snort, crossing my arms. "Just our luck."

"We can't make the others wait any longer," Allen exclaims, "Not to mention the fact that Master is confirmed to be in China, but he might now stay there for long. We can't miss him again!"

"Hey, guys!" I turn in time to see Krory running over to us, the broadest of smiles plastered across his face.

"What are you grinning about?" I inquire as he approaches us.

"I found one!"

Allen blinks. "Huh?"

"A guide. I found one." The faux-vampire than steps to the side to reveal a tiny little Nepal boy. "His name is Amir," Krory explains, "He agreed to take us as far as Tibet."

I look down at the boy; he's scrawny and short with dark, deep-set eyes that star impassively up at me from under a goat's hide hood.

A wave of hot nausea surges in the pit of my stomach. I crouch down in the grass, gripping my torso.

"Cas? Are you alright?" Allen asks.

"Yes!" I assert a little too loudly, straightening up. "I'm fine."

Allen looks to me in concern. "Maybe we shouldn't leave today. Besides, all of the shepherds I talked to said that a storm was coming."

"You don't need to worry about that," Amir asserts quietly. "I know a shortcut. You'll be through the mountains before the storm hits."

"Let's hurry then," Krory presses.

Allen casts one last glance at me; I don't return it.

"Alright, let's get moving."

"Great!" Krory exclaims, visibly pleased with himself. "Don't worry, Allen; we're all stocked up on food supplies. We'll be just fine."

He then runs ahead of us up the path leading out of the fields and towards the more uneven rocky slopes that trailed upwards into the mountains.

"Krory, wait! Watch your step!" Allen calls.

"I'll be fine," the faux-vampire calls back over his shoulder, "I know what I-Oomf!" With a cry, he flies over the crest of a hill and tumbles out of sight.

"Krory!" I exclaim, running after him.

"I told him," Allen grumbles.

* * *

It isn't long before we leave the fields behind, and the mountains close in around us. The terrain is rough and unbalanced, the rocks hard under our feet.  
The further up we go, the harsher the winds become, slicing through our bodies and making it hard to remain upright.

Krory grips the folds of his cloak. "It's cold."

Allen nods in agreement, stuffing Timcampy into his coat in order to keep the golem out of the wind.  
"At the foot of the mountains it was summer, but now it feels like winter."

I fumble with the clasps of my cloak, glancing up at the sky as silvery clouds begin to waft in from the horizon. I can smell the frigid fragrance of snow in the air.  
"We have to hurry."

The ground slopes dangerously upward, moving on practically a vertical incline.  
The air is thin and grey, the snow swirling around us in faster and faster drifts.

The wind is bitterly cold, feeling like a blade of ice scraping against my cheeks.  
"Amir, didn't you say that we would be able to cross the mountains before the weather got bad?" I address the shepherd boy walking ahead of us.

"Stop that," Allen snaps at me. "We asked him to help us."

I instantly slam my mouth shut, the wind howling in my ears.

* * *

The weather gets worse with every step, soon we're submerged in a torrent of white. It pounds against our bodies, making our feet drag as we're buffeted by the storm. My clothes cling to my body and the icy wind slices through them.  
My feet are numb, my ill-prepared shoes having long since soaked through and then frozen over. I slowly stagger along a slope, facing the icy stone wall as I grip it tentatively.

Allen moves ahead of me with Amir in the lead and Krory bringing up the rear.

"Oh, this is all my fault!" the latter wails over the roaring storm. "I pressured Amir into taking us up here and now-Augh!" His words collapse into screams as he slips and staggers backward.

I turn just as Krory falls over the side.

"Krory!" I dive after him without thinking. My hands close around his wrist, but my feet leave solid ground a moment later.

"Cas! Krory!"

My body jerks and I blink rapidly through the storm and the vertigo. There's a pressure on both ends of my body, one from tightly gripping Krory as he freely dangles under me, the other from Allen's firm hold on my ankle, straining as he tries to keep us in place.

"I've got you!" he calls to us.

Below me, Krory sobs quietly.

"It's alright," Allen assures him. "I'm going to pull you up."

He then lets ago for the space of a heart beat before he closes his now activated claws around my waist, giving him better leverage to pull us both back over the side of the ledge.

I gasp as I fall onto all fours in the knee-high drifts. Krory is beside me, whimpering quietly.

I glance up as Allen moves over to him.  
"Krory, come on. We have to keep moving; if this storm gets any worse, we won't be able to cross the ridge."

Krory sniffs heavily.

"Did you hear me?" Allen kneels down next to him. "What is it?"

"My leg," Krory replies quietly, "My ankle hit the rock pretty hard when I fell. It's nothing; I'll be fine." His words are disproven when he tries to stand. He cries out as he attempts to put weight on his ankle.

"It's pretty swollen," I observe, scrambling to my feet and going over to him. "Here. Give me a second to heal it."

Krory looks to me with bemusement as I quickly yank his boot off, holding the injured ankle in my lap as I tug my glove and then sink my teeth into the tender skin of my forearm. Hot Blood explodes across my freezing lips, steaming slightly as a few crimson drops dribble into the snow.

The rest trickles onto Krory's wound as I hold the wound over his injury.

He hisses through his teeth as the fluid seeps into his skin. After a moment, his eyes widen in astonishment.

"It feels much better now," he says as he pulls his shoe back on and slowly gets to his feet.

"I'm glad to hear it," Allen glances up at the storm. "This is bad. We should keep going."

"No. We can't."

I jump about a foot in the air, whirling around to find Amir standing directly behind me.  
"Jesus! Don't do that."

"What do you mean 'we can't'?" Krory asks.

"The storm has slowed our movements and night is approaching," the boy explains simply. "If we dig a hole now, we can wait in there until the storm passes over us."

Allen grimaces. "A hole?"

"A tent would never stay up in this kind of wind."

I heave a sigh, pulling on my glove. "Well, let's get digging."

* * *

We spend the better part of an hour hollowing out a particularly dense snow drift into a little cave.

The space is just big enough for all of to fit inside; we sit cross-legged around Amir's lantern while the wind continues to howl outside.

The shepherd boy opens his bulging pack and pulls out our food provisions consisting mostly of tough meat and salt-less crackers.

Regardless, Allen and I don't complain. It's the only food I've gotten since that bad yak's milk, and my stomach's been complaining for hours.

As I finish my last piece of meat, I spy a lone cracker resting on the open cloth.  
I reach for it just as Allen's finger are about to close around it as well.

I look up at him. He scowls at me.

"Excuse me. It's mine."

My own eyes narrow. "No, it's mine. I saw it first; besides, didn't I see you eating an extra piece a minute ago?"

"You did not!"

"Did to!"

"Guys…"

"Shut up, Krory."

"Fine!" Allen relents, holding up his hands. His voice venomous; the boy can be downright vicious when he's hungry. "You're always hungry for something aren't you?"

I feel a pang in my chest.

"You know what, take it you little shit!" I spat, my voice rising as I chuck the cracker at him and slump back against the wall of the cave, crossing my arms.

Allen looks at the fallen cracker getting soggy in the snow.  
"Cas…"

"No! Just shut up!"

"Maybe you two need a little space," Krory says pointedly, shifting to sit between us.

I don't respond, just pivot my body so I'm not facing either of them.

"It's really nasty out there, isn't it?" the faux-vampire continues if only to break the silence. "It almost sounds like it could go on for days." He laughs nervously.

Allen pales. "Actually, I didn't consider that we might end up spending a few days in here, and now…"

Krory gulps. "We're out of food."

"Augh, fucking hell. I'm so stupid!" Allen cries, gripping the sides of his head. "What are we going to do now?!"

I lean across Krory and flick him in the forehead. "Stop panicking. For God's sake, we've gotten out of worse scrapes than this."

Allen whimpers.

I sigh. "Maybe we should get some sleep. The storm might pass by morning."

"That isn't a good idea," Amir asserts, gesturing to the lantern lighting our cave, "This device doesn't provide us with nearly enough warmth. In sleep, you could freeze to death."

Krory pales. "R-Really?"

"No food and no sleep. Quite the picnic," Allen grumbles, flopping his head down on his knees.

I shift uncomfortably. "Um, well, if its not too weird for you guys, you could always use me to keep warm."

Allen's head snaps up, while Krory looks at me in bewilderment.

"Um, Cas…"

"No! Not like that!" I quickly exclaim. "Look, I can manipulate my Blood to warm or cool my body beyond its natural limits. If you guys stay close to me throughout the night, I should be able to keep you warm enough to sustain you. Does that sound alright?"

Krory and Allen exchange a glance. "I suppose."

"Alright then." I then fold my hands and close my eyes, concentrating. After a moment, a surge of heat unfolds from within my core, spreading throughout my entire body.

I gasp, feeling my insides tighten at the sudden pressure. After a moment, sweat begins to bead on my brow.

"Wow, you're flushed," Krory observes, leaning forehead to feel my forehead. "Whoa! You're burning up."

I smirk. "Told ya."

Still marveling, Krory scoots a little closer to me, eventually resting his cheek on the top of my head.  
"Gee, Cas; if you can keep this up, we'll make it through the night no sweat."

"Maybe for you," I reply thickly as a bit of moisture trickles down my cheek.

Allen shifts to sit on the other side of me. I then feel him cautiously rest his head on my shoulder, wrapping his hands around my upper arm.

I turn to look at him, but he's already closed his eyes.

Above me, I hear Krory's breathing even out.

I glance across the little cave to see Amir impassively watching us.

I smile weakly. "Care to join us?"

He shakes his head, and goes back to sipping his drink.

I suppose he must be used to this.

I slowly lean back against the wall, careful to not disturb Allen and Krory.

The former is snoozing heavily by now. He shifts somewhat, knocking me in the elbow as he mutters Eliade's name.

On my other arm, Allen's grip loosens on my arm, one hand falling palm up onto my knee.  
"Cas…"

I jump, jerking towards him in surprise. He still appears sound asleep. I then reach out and tenderly brush the top of his head, running my fingers through his soft white hair.

I feel my eyelids grow heavy, and before I know it, I've dropped off to sleep.

* * *

I awake with a start. The lantern has gone out, and the snow appears blue in the darkness.

Outside, the sky is still pure white from the storm as it heaps drift after drift against the cave entrance.

Krory is snoring quietly in my ear while Allen meanwhile…

I look down.

At some point during the night, Allen has managed to crawl into my lap. He's currently curled up between my crossed legs with his head resting on my chest and his knees pulled into his chest.

He seems really comfortable.

I sigh.

 _God damn it, kid._

As I lean my head back against the wall, I can't help but feel like something is nagging at the edge of my mind.

A flash of red suddenly catches in the corner of my eye. I jerk my head in time to see a small skirted figure step out of the cave and into the storm.

My mouth parts slightly. "Emma…? Emma!" I carefully pry Allen and Krory from me as I jump to my feet and scramble from the cave.

The storm bites at my face as I step out into the open. I scan the white haze, searching for that pop of crimson I'd spotted before.

I finally see her, standing with her back to me; the violent wind whipping around her, tearing her honey brown hair from its twist and rippling across her crimson skirt.

I'd know that dress anywhere. I'd made it.

"Emma!" I run over to her just as she turns to face me.

Her eyes are large and clear, dark in all the surrounding white.

"Emma," I rush forward and clasp her hands, gripping them in my own. "I'm not stupid; I know this is a dream, but I don't care. I need to talk to you."

Emma looks up at me, tilting her head to the side.

I'm surprise she hasn't spoken yet, but I don't linger long as I take a deep breath, squeezing her fingers between my own.  
"Look. I tried-I tried to do what you said, but I can't. I just can't! I'm afraid, Emma; I'm so afraid, and I feel like I'm slipping, constantly. I don't know if anything I do is within my control. It scares me if it isn't. it scares me if it is. But how do I know that I'm strong enough to handle what's to come. I can't even get over what's happened in the past. Am I weak?"

A sob break in my throat as I press my forhead against Emma's hands grasped within my own.  
"Tell me what to do, Emma!" I shout over the storm.

Only the wind responds. I look up into Emma's still, silent face.

My mouth parts somewhat. "Emma, love, say something." I release one of her hands and reach up to gently brush the side of her face with my own.

She steps away from my reach, pulling free of my grasp.

I gape at her as she stares me down with those cold, impassive eyes.

A stare that's so familiar, but in all the wrong ways.

"You are weak."

Emma's voice, so recognizable and yet so alien as it utters those words.

"W-What?" the word catches in my throat as I look at her, utterly shocked.

"You are weak," Emma repeats. "You are not strong, and you never will be."

I gape at her as the wind tears through my body, but it doesn't compare to her words tearing through me.

I clench my fists, squeezing my eyes shut.  
"I-I…Emma, I-I can't. I can't-" I grind my wrists into the sides of my head as I drop to the my knees in the snow.

I feel weak and sick and tired and angry and I want to scream and tear this useless skin from my body.

The wind surges again, nearly knocking me off the mountain. My eyes flutter open, widening when I see that the spot Emma had occupied mere moments before is now empty of all but swirling snow.

I make a small noise of surprise as I slowly stagger to my feet.  
"E-Emma?" I cautiously call, not loud enough

I hear the snow crunch behind me; I'm about to turn around when a voice makes me stop cold.

"Hello, Cas."

A gasp catches in my throat. My whole body seizes and I start shaking so violently I can barely stand.

I slowly turn around to see a tall, slender, horribly handsome figure standing between me and the cave.

Tyki smiles slyly as he removes his top hat, running his fingers through his glossy curls.  
"How lovely to see you again."

I can't breathe.

This isn't a dream. This is a nightmare.

My eyes waver to the cave entrance where Allen and Krory must still be hiding. I can barely see it past the snow.

"You can't save them." I turn my attention back to Tyki as a sinister smirk slithers across his lips. "You couldn't save Daisya. How do you expect to protect them?"

Anger flares in me. I charge blindly. I don't care if this is a dream or not as my Blood unravels from under my clothes.  
Tyki dodges with ease, sliding out of view.

I stop dead, pivoting to defend myself, but Tyki knocks me to the side and I'm sent flying.

I hit the side of the cliff with a blunt crack. Heat and Blood erupt from the side of my skull as I crumple to the ground in a heap.

I'm dazed, and my vision is cloudy. I slowly shift to my knees, groaning heavily as Blood pours down the side of my face.

Through my cloudy gaze, I can see Tyki striding over to me, his gold eyes gleaming through the storm as he reaches out towards me.  
"Come here, darling. We're going to have a little fun."

* * *

 _My eyes flutter open._

 _I can hear the howls of the storm just outside. My eyes just start to focus, and my heart stands still in my chest when I catch a familiar figure in worn, patchwork clothes stepping out of the cave._

 _"_ _Mana!" I gasp as I jump to my feet and scramble after him. "Mana!" I yell louder over the wind as I step into the storm._

 _It's practically a white out. I can see anything but the torrent of ice, blending together into a singular ivory mass around me, like a white abyss._

 _The cold air against my cheeks clears my head. I close my eyes, shaking my head.  
"It's impossible. I brought salvation to his soul; there's no way he could come back to life." I reopen my eyes, gritting my teeth._

 _Someone is creating an illusion. Is it an Akuma?_

 _I hear a footstep to my right, and turn in time to see another familiar image: long red hair under a wide black hat, dressed in a black and gold coat._

 _"_ _Master!" I clench my teeth as I rush over to the figure. "You can't fool me! I know you're an illusion."  
I rush up to them and throw my fist at their chest. I expect it to pass through and am startled when the image of my Master knocks my hand aside._

 _I gasp as he socks me hard in the chest. I choke, air leaving me as I'm sent flying off my feet and into the side of the cliff._

 _I hit the rock hard, sliding to the ground as I almost black out._

 _When my vision clears, I look to see that I'm alone in the storm. I can't see anyone._

 _The cave was empty._

 _"_ _Cas!" I jump to my feet, shouting over the wind. "Krory! Where are you?!"_

 _There's no response._

 _The wind suddenly surges violently, and I'm nearly thrown off my feet. I hold my hands in front of my face, shielding my eyes._

 _When I lower them, the shift in the wind gives way to tow people a short distance from the cave._

 _Cas is on her knees in the snow; a tall figure in a well-dressed party clothes is holding her by the throat. As I look on, I see that he has the umber skin, golden eyes and familiar stigmata._

 _A Noah._

 _"_ _Cas!" I scream as my arm activates and I charge forward. I fire a blast in the Noah's direction. They step to avoid it just in time, dropping Cas into the snow._

 _The storm surges, and the snow shrouds them. I jerk back, holding up my hand until the wind dies back down._

 _"_ _Allen?"_

 _I glance up and my mouth falls open. I see that there are now two identical Cas's standing side by side, both looking at eachother equal looks of confusion._

 _"_ _What the fuck?"_

 _"_ _What the hell is going on here?"_

 _"_ _Who are you?"_

 _"_ _I'm Cas Williams. Who are you?"_

 _"_ _Don't mess around with me. I'm the real Cas!"_

 _I look between them, flustered._

 _"_ _I understand now," I say to the two of them, and they simultaneously stop their bickering. "Lulu Bell can shapeshift; she was Amil and this whole thing was a trap. I'm right, aren't I?"_

 _"_ _Don't ask me!" the two Cas's exclaim in unison, pointing at each other. "Ask her!"_

 _I look between them. It's a little disorienting how perfect the imitation is._

 _The both even have the same identical head wound._

 _The question is: how am I going to tell them apart?_

 _"_ _Allen," the Cas on the left calls to me, smiling as she tucks her red hair behind her ear. "Come on. You know I'm the real thing."_

 _"_ _Don't listen to that bitch!" the Cas on the right interjects. "Allen, c'mon. Can't you see she's the fake?"_

 _"_ _She's the imposter, not me!"_

 _"_ _Stop imitating me!"_

 _"_ _Enough," I step forward, and both Cas's instantly fall silent. "I know a way to tell for sure." I smile as I approach the Cas on the right._

 _She raises an eyebrow as I stand before her, reaching up to brush a strand of her hair off her forehead._

 _"Allen..."_

 _I just continue to smile as I push up on my toes, cupping the sides of her face as I lean forward, reaching for her lips, but she jerks away from me._

 _"_ _N-No!" she cries, stumbling backward with such force that she falls to the ground. "D-Don't. I-I can't do that, Allen. I can't-I can't touch you after what I did. What I did…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she wails, burying her face in her hands. "I-I hate myself for it!"_

 _I smirk, pointing at her. "You're the real Cas."_

 _She looks up at me, blinking in astonishment._

 _I then turn to the fake.  
"And you're Lulu Bell, aren't you?"_

 _The other Cas stares me down coldly, her long red hair whipping about her in the wind._

 _I glower at her. "Why don't you stop wearing that face and show us your true form."_

 _Expressionless, Lulu Bell slowly steps backward._

 _"_ _Wait!" Cas starts forward, but falters as the Noah vanishes into the rippling winds._

 _"_ _Where'd she go?" I ask._

 _Seconds later, we hear a scream._

 _"_ _Krory!" We both take off running in the direction of his cry._

 _The snow parts as we plunge through it, and I catch a glimpse of Krory huddled in the snow, sobbing.  
"G-Grandfather…E-Eliade."_

 _"_ _Looks like he fell victim to Lulu Bell as well," I surmise as Cas drops down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder._

 _"_ _Krory, it's alright."_

 _I glance around us just as a rumbling builds up around us._

 _"_ _Watch out!" I yell as the ground erupts in a spray of snow._

 _Cas yanks Krory out of the way just as a pack of Akuma burst from the snowbanks and close in around us._

 _"_ _Krory, come on," Cas pulls him to his feet._

 _I swing my Weapon towards them. "Duck!"  
They do so as I fire over their heads._

 _The Akuma dodges and a silver disc rockets towards me. I pivot to dodge, but I'm not fast enough._

 _Pain explodes in my abdomen and I stagger, gripping my torso as I feel hot blood seeping between my fingers._

 _"_ _Allen!" Cas rushes forward, shooting a Blood spear through the offending Akuma._

 _It explodes, spraying shrapnel all around us._

 _"_ _I'm alright," I call back to her, "It's just a scratch."_

 _It really isn't; I'm already feeling slightly lightheaded._

 _Behind Cas, Krory jumps up and rips his teeth through three Akuma._

 _I turn and fire my gun through two, still gripping my wound with my free arm._

 _There's suddenly a great explosion that seems to shake the whole mountain. I turn and my heart drops into my stomach to see a great wave of white surging towards us from the peak._

 _"_ _Avalanche!" I hear Krory yell._

 _"_ _Come on, Allen. We have to move," I turn to look her, squinting through the storm. My vision doubles and then my knees give out._

 _"_ _Allen!" Cas's voice sounds distant as I fall._

 _I hit the ground, passing out mere seconds after my vision goes white as the snow consumes us._

* * *

 _Warm._

 _I'm so warm._

 _A single drop of moisture alights on my nose. My brow creases as my eyes flutter open._

 _They widen as my vision focuses and I see Cas gazing down at me._

 _Her gold eyes flood with relief.  
"A-Allen."_

 _She looks exhausted; her face is more flushed than usual and there are blisters bubbling across her ruddy cheeks._

 _"_ _Cas…? What have you-" I trial off as fully assess the situation. Cas is straddling me with her arms planted on either side of my head, said limbs are trembling horribly._

 _Krory is on his side directly to my left, still apparently unconscious._

 _The warmth coming from Cas's body is nearly overwhelming._

 _I look back up and then I notice the wings._

 _Erupting from Cas's back, her Blood has shaped itself into a form I've never seen before: a pair of gigantic crimson wings that spread out from Cas and drape down around us, curling around Krory and me in a tender kind of embrace._

 _I look up at her staring down at me with sweat dripping down her face._

 _A Bloody angel._

 _"_ _A-Allen. I-I'm s-sorry," Cas stammers before her eyes roll back in her head and she gives way, falling off me and landing on her side._

 _"_ _Cas!" I sit up as she hits the ground next to me in the patch of mud we're lying on, the snow having long since melted under her influence. I look down to see that my wound has been healed, but I don't dwell on it as I scramble onto all fours and crawl over to Cas, lying in the snow as it dissolves to water around her._

 _She's shaking with fever, and I tenderly place a hand on her shoulder. "Cas, how-how high?"_

 _"_ _D-Don't know. I lost track at about 110."_

 _My mouth parts slightly. "Cas! That could_ kill _someone."_

 _She laughs weakly, "Not me apparently."_

 _I look at her sadly. I then notice that her Blood is still in its wing shape, the burning feathers fanning out behind her across the snow as it liquefies._

 _"_ _Did you notice the wings?"_

 _"_ _Yeah. I-I've never done that before," Cas murmurs._

 _"_ _Do you suppose you can fly with them?"_

 _"_ _M-Maybe," Cas's words collapse into a cough. I grip her shoulders to steady her, cupping one hand behind her head as I gently turn her onto her back. When her breathing steadies, I reach up to tenderly brush at the blisters peppering her checks._

 _Cas's chest heaves. "Is Krory alright?"_

 _I turn from her and move over to him, brushing my hands across his chest, feeling his even breath and beating heart._

 _I turn back to Cas. "He's fine."_

 _She closes her eyes in relief._

 _"_ _Thanks to you."_

 _"_ _Of course," she coughs again. "I h-had to keep you two safe."_

 _"_ _And you did," I assure her as I gently lift her upper body out of the mud, still gripping the back of her head as I hold her across my knee, leaning her head against my chest. "But you can stop now. We're safe."_

 _Cas sighs. I can almost feel the visible change in her burning body as her temperature starts to drop._

 _"_ _Allen…lowering…temperature…means…I…might pass…" Her head droops against me as she blacks out._

 _I look down at her: at her wet hair and scorched face._

 _I knew that I need to see to Krory, perhaps find some way to rose him. The morning sky above us is clear, and we need to find a way down the mountain into Tibet._

 _I kiss Cas's cooling forehead as I gently lower her back to the ground.  
"You did good, Cas. You did good."_

* * *

I crack open an eye, and am instantly bombarded with light.

I squeeze them shut with a groan.

"Cas?"

My eyes snap open, and I'm alarmed to see Lenalee and Bookman standing over me.

"L-Legs," I exclaim attempting to sit up, but I falter as my head starts spinning.

"Easy," Bookman urges, placing a hand on my shoulder to steady me, "You've had a trying journey."

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Lhasa," Lenalee explains, "The capitol of Tibet."

"Where are Allen and Krory?"

"Here," I look to the door to see Krory and Allen step into the room along with Lavi.

"Glad to see you're alright, Cassandra."

Allen nods in agreement, smiling at me. "Hey, Cas."

I hesitate before returning his smile. "Hi."

Krory clears his throat loudly. "Well, I'm sure Cas is very tired. Allen, why don't you see if she needs anything while the rest of us get some dinner."

"Aww, but I want to eat too!" the boy whines.

"Allen," Krory gives him a hard look.

The boy falters.

"Good idea, Fang-boy. I'm starving," Lavi exclaims, oblivious as he files out of the room, Bookman and Lenalee close behind him. Krory leaves last, closing the door behind him.

Wordlessly, Allen moves over to sit on the bed opposite mine as I shift to hang my legs over the side of the mattress.

There's a pause.

"You do realize you almost kissed a Noah, right?" I say after a moment.

"Don't remind me."

I look at him, my chest is burning, and my hands are shaking. I clench them into fists.

"I-In that moment, I meant what I said," I whisper, "I'm sorry about what I did. I'm so sorry, Allen, and I don't blame you if you hate me, but I-." I pause, taking a deep breath. "It's just that, I feel like I'm slipping, like I'm losing control of myself. The Noah, they make me feel like I'm not myself. Like they have some kind of influence on me. Before, in those years before I joined the Order, I would feel like that sometimes and I would have sex with people to try and regain a sense of myself. I was cold…I was cold and lonely and I missed Emma so much I wanted to die. I wanted that, craved what we had even though I knew I would never get it back. I would become consumed by how alone I was, I would give into myself, drinking, smoking, whatever else, and then I would hate myself for it, and it would just make me numb. I was so afraid to feel, and I hated myself for it. It was a vicious cycle."

I slowly get to my feet, looking at Allen as he sits with his head bent and his hand resting in his lap.

"I found a new sense of myself in the Order, you know that, and in meeting you, I managed to get back the parts of myself I thought I'd lost, the parts of myself that I thought I destroyed. Allen, I never treated you the same way I treat other people because I hold you in the highest esteem, but in that moment, I reverted back because I was afraid, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, and I know that I'm just making excuses, but I…" I grit my teeth. "I just don't want to ruin what I have with you, because you mean the world to me, Allen Walker, and I hope you believe me when I say that."

I finish speaking, but Allen doesn't respond. He doesn't even look at me.

I gaze at him, horrified.

Then he starts laughing.

My eyes widen. "Why are you laughing?"

He looks up at me as tears trickle down his cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" I hurriedly cross the room, kneeling down in front of him, placing my hands on his knees as he wipes his eyes, still giggling slightly.

"Allen?"

"I'm sorry. It's just…I thought you were mad at me."

My mouth falls open. "You thought I was mad because you wouldn't _sleep_ with me? No! Allen, never! If anything, you should be mad at _me_."

"I was mad at you," Allen admits, "I worried that you didn't see me as anything more than something to get you off."

"In that moment, it wasn't how I see you otherwise," I admit, my hands curling into fists. "But I cherish you, Allen Walker; you are a beautiful person, and I would never want to take something like that away from you, I would never want to ruin what we have in that kind of way."

Allen stares at me, startled.

I smile, tilting my head to the side. "Why did you think I never hit on you until then? Did you think I didn't think you were good looking? It's because I didn't want to taint this. I hold you as something higher than just physical attraction. I hope you know that."

Allen swallows. "I-I do."

"Good," I drop my eyes. "I'm sorry I forgot that. Can you…Can you forgive me?"

I look up as Allen reaches out and brushes the side of my face. He smiles. "I forgave you weeks ago."

Something swells in the pit of my stomach; I look into Allen's grey eyes and feel slightly weightless.

"Can you forgive _me_?" he asks quietly, "For what I said in the cave, I-I didn't mean it."

I snort. "I know."

"Cas, have an outsider perspective," Allen continues as he presses his Innocence arm to my chest. I feel the pulse the Innocence on Innocence contact has within me. "You are you, you're here and I see you, I feel you, and I know you. I feel your mind and your soul in spite of this cold heart. if none of what you have done, what you've saved and thrived is truly you, then how could I have come to care for you so deeply?"

He looks back up at me, his eyes full of earnest.

I feel a heat behind my eyes. "Oh Allen, I really don't deserve you."

"Stop saying that," he chides lightly. "You deserve everything."

I laugh slightly. "I just wish I was as strong as you."

Allen snorts. "Don't think I don't have my weaknesses too. Do you have any idea how many people I cheated in card games? It wasn't just lowlifes and gangsters; innocent people too. First timers, people too drunk to decline, enabling addicts. In my time with Master, money became more important than breathing; it became a necessity to my survival, and it was the only way I found I could be in control of my situation. I got it in any way I could, no matter who it was I hurt." Allen closes his eyes, sighing heavily. "Like I said, I was a pretty mean person for a while."

I look at him, shocked.

Allen sighs, shaking his head as he continues to rub the side of my face in tender circles with his thumb.  
"I wanted the money like you wanted the sex. What we want can become what we need so easily, and it can consume us."  
A smile unfolds on his lips as he looks down at me kneeling before him. He leans closer, his grey eyes shining as he whispers: "What has to be done to break the chains is find something worthwhile, something stronger, better to stand in its place, and we both found that in the Order, in each other. Cassandra, whatever our souls are made of: yours and mine are the same. And I will always be here for you."

I'm floored, momentarily speechless, least of all because it's the first time Allen has called me by my full name.  
"Same to you," I finally say.

Allen grins before he reaches out and wraps his arms around my shoulders. After a moment's hesitation, I return his embrace.

I wrap my arms tightly around him, feeling him against me, inhaling the scent in his hair.

After a moment, I release him and move to sit down on the bed next to him.

Allen looks at me, slightly perplexed. His coat is off, and his proximity allows me to notice the faint bruise on his neck.

I reach forward and brush my fingers through the ends of his hair. I smile reassuringly as I slowly lean forward. Allen stiffens somewhat as I softly press my lips against the rough spot on his throat.

He gasps quietly at the tender touch. "Cas…"

My eyes flit to his face to see that there's no fear in his expression; his eyes are closed in a look of bliss.

I grin as I rear back. "There. That's better."

Allen reopens his eyes, blinking rather rapidly as he looks at me.  
"Cas, how did you know that you loved Emma?"

I stare at him, startled at the question.  
After a moment, I relent as I pull him into my chest again, letting his head rest on my shoulder as I trail my fingers through his soft hair, thinking on how to phrase my answer.

"I suppose it was when I realize that being without her was painful, that being with her was so intense it hurt, that losing her was agony, that being without her was…hell."

Allen shifts his head to look at me. He reaches up and his fingers brush against my lips, after a moment he tilts his head up and his mouth presses against the scape of my jawline.

I freeze at his actions, my own mouth parting in shock.

"Love is torture," Allen whispers.

I sigh quietly.

"Yeah, it is."

* * *

A/N: So, *kinda* kiss and make up? I guess. The teasing was strong in this chapter. I'm sorry.  
Poor Cas; it's a constant struggle dealing with her continuing fears and regrets.  
I hope you all enjoyed the tender moment at the end. I know I did.  
Tell me what you thought of the chapter.  
Hopefully I'll actually get the review *growls*  
Anyways, see you next week. :D


	36. Chapter 36

UPDATE: Alrighty, reviews are back online! Apparently this was a site wide problem. People were losing their proverbial shit on the Help forums. Thankfully, the glitch has been corrected, and I'm now able to respond to the reviews I received that I couldn't see before. Thanks again:)

* * *

From: WaruWaru  
Q: YES. YOU DID FUCK IT UP NOW, CASSANDRA. To explain how conflicted I am, I will now list the thoughts I had while reading this. -Oh, we're off to a good start.  
-Whooo! More original chapters!  
-On this episode of precarious hill climbing...  
-Isolated village drama. Great.  
-Aaaaand there's Cas's chapterly ration of non-Callen flirting.  
-Isolated kid, walking statue, cute teenage romance... All good here.  
-More precarious hill climbing!  
-And here is our regular dose of Akuma.  
-Moth Akuma *shiversOh, not you again, Lulu Bell.  
-NOOO! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BABIES!  
-Problem solved!  
-Salim and Katya better have cute children.  
-And it's Lulu Bell again!  
-Well, we've finally settled down.  
-Does Lulu Bell's ultimate plan have something to do with getting Cas too horny for work?  
-Neh, she probably doesn't know that Cas's empathy works like that.  
-Awkward bathroom scene!  
-Awww... Scar bonding!  
-And now it's sexual tension. Great.  
-Cas, get your mind out of the gutter.  
-Cas... what are you doing?  
-Oh god no...  
-Stoooop! Consent!  
-CONSEEEEEEEENT!  
-Finally! You've reacted!  
-And now Allen is mad.  
-Yep, you did fuck up.  
-FUCK. SHE FUCKED UP.  
-Great, now we need another near-death situation to stress me out and fix this a looooooong review XD But weeeell. This story deserves it. You get the drill.

A: I do not frown upon long reviews in the SLIGHTEST. I appreciate feedback in all shapes and sizes, and this review is definitely one of my favorites. The play by play was quite entertaining  
Some thoughts:  
-It's actually not an original chapter; this whole arc is anime-only filler. Lulu Bell does not nearly have as big a role in the manga as she does in the anime (I'm not even sure if she's spoken yet)  
-'Precarious hill climbing' hilarious  
-Yeah, this Akuma freaked me out too; bugs, fucking hate 'em. It flew at the screen and I was like: Eeeeehhh!  
-Salim and Katya _are_ pretty adorable for a one off couple  
-You are correct in that assumption that Lulu Bell is unaware of how she makes Cas feel. To be honest, I think she'd be just as embarrassed about it as Cas is. I think Tyki would be thrilled if he found out how he makes her feel though.  
-Yeah, the bathroom scene actually made me realize that Allen has seen Cas practically shirtless twice now and both were in entirely non-sexual ways: once when she showed him her heart and again when she was all bandaged up after her encounter with Tyki  
-Let's be honest: Cas's mind is ALWAYS in the gutter  
-It's been established that Cas likes Allen's torso (and his hair)  
-Your reaction to Cas attempting to seduce Allen: priceless  
-Her hands went…places  
-Poor Allen  
-Aren't there always near death situations regardless? This whole anime/manga is stressful as all hell  
Anyways, thanks again so much for this wonderful review! :D

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I, personally, would enjoy Cas as a pole dancer (and I'm glad I can amuse you with my lovechild realization). I wanna know more, too, because how is *SPOILERS* Nana dead but also the Earl? like what? and the thing with older Allen and Neah and ugh, the Walker/Campbell family needs some serious light shined onto it...*END SPOILERS* dammit, it was getting hot and then BAM! everything comes crashing down and I feel hollow on the inside...

A: I think Cas would like ALLEN as a pole dancer. That's a thought, huh? Love child jokes are one of my favorite things XD I KNOW RIGHT! This quarter year serialization is giving me ulcers! I can't wait that long, not to mention that three-month printing has fewer pages than single month printing GRRRR I need answers damn it!  
Well, I'm glad you thought it was hot, but yeah, not in a good kind of way.  
I imagine Cas probably feels similar

And now here are the reviews from the previous chapter:

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: The review not showing up sucks, yeah.  
Aaaaaanyways it's awkwardly hilarious when they're still jittery around each other. I laughed-cried at "you can have it all you want you little s***" part. Man, Allen was very venomous then. And a blood angel? Mine God just imagining it looks awesome. Btw 110 is in F right? Or in C? Cuz if it's celcius it means you just give Cas the ability to vaporize f*** water. :p Not that I'm complaning or anything ;)  
Great chap, as always. Lookin forward for more!

A: I'm glad you thought that little squabble over food was funny. Yes, I think Allen needs a snickers or something, but I mean, he was still kinda salty about what had happened.  
Thanks so much! It is a pretty cool effect. Yes, F; I'm American XD  
I deeply appreciate the compliments, and I'm glad you're enjoying the fic.

From: animexxfreakxx  
Q: Author-san please stop teasing me so (TT) Allen and Cas! These two are just too adorable for me to handle some times lol.  
I love your take on the Noah's abilities affecting Cas. I'm honestly waiting for her and Tykki to have another scene _ oh! And the upping of Cas' abilities! The wings sound awesome... can't wait to see them in actual combat

A: I'm sorry! Really, I am. They are adorable though. Thanks, I'm glad you like that element, and don't worry, Cas's next encounter with Tyki is coming up.  
Well, considering how much Allen's Innocence evolves, you can expect something similar for Cas ;)

From: Oz  
Q: What a great follow up from your last chapter. I like how you resolved the tension between Allen and Cas. And wings of blood? Why do I get a sense of foreshadowing with that or is that just me?  
P.S why haven't Cas and co put two and two together yet when every time Cas gets sick near some people I.e Amir, that they turn out to be Noah's? She's like a human Noah detecter.  
P.P.S Keep up the good work! :)

A: Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked the chapter so much. Idk, it might be foreshadowing…  
Well, I suppose in this instance, Cas just thought it was her mixed up emotions that was making her ill, but I mean they were a little slow on the uptake that Lulu Bell was following them in canon too…  
Cas is a human Noah detector! I died!  
Thanks so much. I'm so happy you're enjoying this.

From: YaoiLovinKitsune  
Q: Jesus this story got my feels flying around alike a sir Kimlin the II ! I'm for real! Very good story, and I love the Allen x Cas going on but I just love Tyki so much and want him to be in there. Cas being like a tall steamy meatball in sexy manly buns that just squeeze her and hopefully other stuff*wink**wink* well bye bye update soon

A: Awww! I'm happy my story's giving you feels:D  
Ah, a Cyki shipper, I see. Well, there is another important scene with them coming up and there is plenty of shipping fodder in the Ark arc and beyond. Like Allen and Road, it gets shippier in later manga chapters and such.  
I'm so glad you're enjoying this;)

From: ShadowKat  
Q: This chapter made my heart ache. I'm not a big crier, but I definitely felt my eyes stinging. I feel like I relate so much with this particular scene, though not necessarily the same circumstances, if you will. The Shame Train, as one of the previous reviews called it, is certainly not a fun ride.  
Have you, the author, had an experience like this yourself? No details, just curious if this chapter was inspired by a personal experience :)

A: Aww! *holds out a tissue* I suppose that's an accomplishment as a writer, but I'm sorry it made you kind of sad.  
Well, like you, I can relate to this scene not necessarily in the same circumstances. I've let down friends and family members through my own flaws and like Cas, have struggled with moving past my inborn shortcomings, coming pretty close to giving up on myself from time to time. Forgiveness is difficult to earn as is regaining trust. Becoming aware of one's faults is a really hard thing, trying to move past them is even harder.  
Regardless, Allen and Cas are back on track; expect more fluff in future chapters.  
I mean…you know…until we get to the Fallen Arc.

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: my stomach was in knots the majority of this chapter. Ewe

A: Oh no! I hope you liked the ending at least!

From: Waru Waru  
Q: My review was the lost one *cries in a corner*  
Oh well, there wasn't any real question in it, besides me raging on consent XD.  
This chapter was another emotional rollercoaster (as expected). However, this one hit me relatively hard... probably because I've experienced that same disgust with myself (well, not on the same scale nor with similar reasons as Cas, but you get it). The tension between Cas and Allen was beautifully written, and Cas's mental state did touch home.  
As I predicted in my review that decided to go to Neverland, a stressfull (for me), near death situation was needed to get Callen back on track. The ending was woth the stress, though.  
As to what will come... I feel that Cas won't go back to being the same. This may be too based on personal experience, but I think that Cas might be a bit more cautious of her advances in the following chapters... *strokes invisible beard*  
Now, I do have a question this time around - when do you write? Since you are in college and all, when do you find time for writing? Do you have to sit down specifically to write, or do you write by pieces whenever you are free? Also, do you write on a notebook first or directly to an electronic device?  
I ask this since I was wondering how you manage to squeeze out such beautifully long chapters as frequently as you do XD I'm one curious reader~  
-See you next week!

A: Never fear! I saw your review! And I'm so happy I did; I really enjoyed it :D  
Yeah, I think just about everyone has been in Cas's shoes in some shape or form; a couple other people have commented on this as well to me. I'm glad you think so, and yeah, Cas is a bit of wreck at the moment: this trauma's got layers.  
You are very much correct; Cas has never really hit on Allen all that much, but the longer she's known him the more she's teased him (I mean, his reactions are entertaining) She definitely will ease up on that; although, Cas will have an epiphany in the near future that's going to shake things up…  
In answer to your questions: I do have to sit down specifically to write so I can get myself in the right mindset, and I upload on Tuesdays because I have only two classes that day and they're four hours apart with one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so I write in between them. I always write on a laptop because I can type so much faster than handwriting.  
Another thing I've found however is that these chapters and this fic just comes so easy to me: working with the OC, the canon characters, the story, all of it. For other fics (like Doctor Who for instance) it can take me weeks to finish just one chapter, but sometime I can do three in a row in a single day for this story (as you've seen)  
I also don't sleep…so there's that.  
Anways, I hope you enjoy the next chapter~

* * *

ONE LAST THING: First off, I want to thank everyone for all the questions and inquiries you've made in previous reviews. I'm flattered you're interested. Now then, if any of you have any questions for CAS directly, feel free to ask away! I'm sure she'll be more than happy to answer them (at the very least, with some prodding from me~)

With that, enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter 36: The Girl of the Crystal

* * *

Darkness.

A gleam in the distance.

Coldness

Drifting in the shadows.

Am I underwater?

 _It has always belonged to me._

The light is coming closer

 _I shouldn't have run away._

A warmth spreading out of the blackness.

 _And yet, in that moment, I did…_

Flashes…Images

A silver crest, covered in blood

Is that...?

I feel strange. I feel…afraid. But it isn't the crushing, constricting terror that I've come to know now. It's almost nostalgic in a sense, the kind of fear I'd experienced as a little kid.

I'm suddenly flashing back to a little five-year-old child, before I was…myself. The first time I used my Innocence.

The Fourteen Place…

My eyes flutter open.

"Cas, are you alright?"

"Huh?" I slowly lift my head. I'm lying face down in the dirt. I glance up, groggy, to see Allen kneeling beside me. "Wha-? What happened?"

"You keeled over there for a second," Lavi replies, standing over me with his hands clasped behind his head. "Heat stroke or something?"

"I dunno…" I reply, slowly shifting onto my knees. I look around to see Allen, Lavi, Lenalee, Krory, and Bookman are all looking at me with similar expressions of concern. "Guys, I'm alright. Really. I think it was just an empathic episode."

Allen raises an eyebrow. "Did it have something to do with the Noah?"

"I-" I shake my head. "I'm not sure. Maybe."

"Regardless of the cause, it is evident that you are weary from the journey," Bookman declares. "I believe it would be in all of our best interests if we find some place to rest soon."

"I agree," Allen says, pulling me to my feet as he stands as well. His stomach growls a minute later and he folds in on himself. "I'm about five seconds away from eating my boots."

I nod in agreement. My insides constrict from a similar emptiness. It feels like it's been weeks since I've eaten.

The walk through the Chinese country side has been grueling, especially with the noon sun of late-July beating down upon us.

The air feels heavy as we struggle along an isolated beaten path, our feet dragging behind us.

Bookman's right. No wonder I passed out.

Lavi glances up at the offending solar, shielding his eyes.  
"Jesus, it's hot. I'm so thirsty."

"There should be a town up ahead," Bookman proclaims. "Let us continue on."

So, we do. Trudging along the dusty road in a dismal little queue. Bookman and Krory lead the way, followed by Lavi and Lenalee with Allen and I playing caboose.

After a time, I take off my cloak and throw it over my shoulder, loosening the red tie Allen had given me for my birthday.

I glance towards Lenalee, who's wearing her long black coat over her already heavy Exorcist uniform.  
"Aren't you dying, Legs?"

She gives me a weak smile. "I'm fine."

I eye her curiously. Why does she wear a coat over her Exorcist clothes anyways? I mean, isn't the whole point of these things to be a walking bullseye to attract potential Akuma away from innocent humans?

Komui keeps her more sheltered than I thought.

Beside me, Allen groans. He looks miserable. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, Allen," Lenalee assures him, "Hang in there."

"Cas!" Allen whines, grabbing the end of my cloak and letting it drag him a few paces. "Do you have any more candy bars?" he whispers, scrambling as he fumbles through the garment's pockets.

"If I do, they're probably nothing but a chocolate-flavored puddle at this point."

"Cas!" Allen moans louder, wrapping his arms around my waist and hanging off me, holding me down as I try to walk. "Give me food!"

"Get off me," I lightly chide, gently prying his arms from my torso. "I'm hungry too."

"Hey, look ahead!" Krory suddenly exclaims from the head of the group. We all glance up to see he's flashing us a reassuring smiling, pointing ahead of him. We're just mounting the crest of a hill, and spread out below us, is a vast valley with a sprawling town.

"It's a village!" Allen exclaims.

"Yes!" Lavi pumps his fist in the air. "Drinks!"

"Food! C'mon, Cas!" Allen grabs my hand and yanks me along, making me nearly drop my coat as he pulls me down the hill and towards the city.

"Let's go, Lenalee," Lavi laughs as he takes her hand as well.

I look over my shoulder to see her smiling as he leads her down the hill after us.

They've been really chummy ever since we'd met up with them in Lhasa last week.

I wonder what happened while we were separated from them…

As we approach the gate, I notice that Bookman has held back. I cast a glance over my shoulder to see he's wandered over to a small canal system carved and laden with stone in the ground beside the road. It stretches across the entire perimeter of the village.

However, the water system appears to be flowing with less consistency than usual as nothing more than a thing ribbon of silvery water can be seen rippling along the canal's base.

"Come on, Cas!" Allen yanks me harder, causing me to turn my attention away from the water system, my inquiry as to why Bookman is so interested in it dying in my mouth.

The village gate is a large structure of painted red wood with pagota like slates to make its roof; it matches the buildings of the village's interior: all of them are made of clean white stone with the same grey pagoda roofs.  
The streets are polished grey stone and red lantern bob in the breeze as it winds through the silent streets.

We pause on the threshold.

"There's no one here," Lenalee whispers.

In our line of work, this is never a good sign.

"Where is everyone?" Lavi demands.

"Could this place be abandoned?" Krory wonders.

"No! It can't be!" Lavi exclaims, shaking his fists and jumping up and down like a child throwing a tantrum. "What about our drinks?"

"And food," Allen whimpers, his shoulder slumping.

"Stow the negativity, would you?" I rebuke them, lighting my pipe and blowing out a drag of smoke. "If this place is abandoned, it's in remarkably good shape."

"But if people are living here, then where are they?" Lenalee inquires.

We all gaze around the silent streets once more just as another gust of wind rattles the houses, making the lanterns dance vigorously. "There's something weird going on here," Krory declares.

"You are correct."

We turn around to see Bookman has caught up with us.  
"There is something unusual about this town. Have you noticed the waterways?"

"I saw you looking at them earlier," I remark, blowing out another puff of smoke. "They're drying up."

The elderly man nods, brushing past us and we all follow him further into the village.  
"The waterways run throughout the entire village," he explains as we step over a wooden bridge, beneath which his another part of the canal.

It's almost completely dried up.

"The water hasn't flowed in a long time," a voice calls to us.

We turn around to see a wide-faced man looking at us from across the street.

"Thank goodness," Allen exclaims with a relieved smile. "There's actually someone living in this town."

The man raises an eyebrow. "Are you people travelers? Do you have a place to stay?"

"We don't wish to trouble you," Lenalee asserts.

"It's no problem," the man replies, beckoning to us. "I own a restaurant. Come in and get something eat."

Beside me, I hear the sound of Allen drooling.

"That sounds like a good idea," I add, the promise of food making my insides clench painfully.

"We thank you for your hospitality," Bookman commends as we follow the man into the restaurant across the street. "Would you perhaps tell us what's happened to your village?"

"Can we eat first?" Allen whines.

The man leads us over to a large round table. After a short time, he brings out a large round tray laden with many different kinds of dishes.

I grin as the platter is laid out in front of us.

Second only to Italian food, Asian cuisine is my favorite.

"Please, help yourselves."

"Thank you!" Allen exclaims before sticking his fork through several pieces of chicken at once.

I follow suite, making sure he doesn't snatch everything out from under me.

Eating with Allen always turns into a competition.

While we're layering our plates, the man goes over to a large pot resting in the corner. He opens the wooden lid and ladles out a painstakingly measured portion of water: just enough to fill a small, metal pitcher.

"I'm sorry," he says as he walks the water over to us. "This is all I can offer you."

He then proceeds to fill each of our cups up to just enough that the liquid almost reaches the brim.

"I'm sure it will be enough," Bookman assures him.

The man nods, smiling slightly. "Well then, dig in."

We all go on eating, except Bookman.

"Your people seem to be suffering here."

The man shrugs. "Well, it's easy. We've all been scrambling ever since the town's water supply started drying up."

I look up. "The source?" I ask through a mouthful of rice.

"That's right. You see, there's a good sized like just outside of town," the man explains, "There used to be plenty of water that naturally overflowed into our waterways. However, about a month ago, the water levels started dropping lower and lower, and we can't for the life of us figure out why. It's gotten so serious; we've had to start rationing our drinking water."

Beside me, Allen, who had been taking a swig of his drink, chokes.

"Is there some kind of drought in this area then?" I inquire.

The man shakes his head. "No. According to those of us that have been observing the lake for the source of the problem, even after a heavy rain the water level keeps decreasing."

"That shouldn't be possible," Lavi proclaims.

"How can that be?" Krory agrees.

"It's certainly a mysterious phenomenon," Lenalee agrees.

"Indeed," Bookman nods. "One worth looking into."

"I agree." Allen gets to his feet. "Would it be alright if we took a look at this lake? We might be able to find some overlooked clues that could help."

"Go ahead," the man replies simply, gesturing over his shoulder, "If you go out the gate and make a hard right, keeping going straight and you'll eventually run into it. If you could help us in any way, we'd greatly appreciate it."

"We'll do our best, sir," Lavi replies, jumping to his feet. The rest of us follow suit.

* * *

"What?! Why do Cas, Lenalee, and I have to stay in town?" Allen whines as we reach the town limit's.

"Come on, even if we check the lake, that doesn't mean we'll be able to solve the mystery," Lavi lightly chides, "It would make sense if half of us stay behind and talk with the townspeople. Especially about what was going on a month ago. And with Lenalee growing up in China and all, I figured she'd be perfect to talk to them."

Lenalee beams as Lavi winks at her.

"But-" Allen starts to protest.

"If Innocence is the source of the lake drying up, there may be other things in the area as well," Bookman declares pointedly.

Allen falters. "Akuma."

"Right. So, I guess we'll meet back here in an hour or so," I say to Lavi.

He nods. "We'll leave the questioning in your capable hands." He, Bookman and Krory then turn and head off down the path in the direction of the lake. "Good luck to ya."

"Same to you," Allen calls back.

"You guys be careful!" Lenalee adds.

Lavi flashes a grin over his shoulder, "C'mon, Lenalee; I'm always careful."

With that, our three comrades vanish over the side of a hill.

"Alright," Lenalee says as we turn to face the still silent and empty streets, "Let's find someone to talk to."

She marches down the road with Allen at her heel. I'm about to follow, but something makes me pause: a feeling like all of my Blood is suddenly running into my shoes.

I gasp as a freezing, wet feeling engulfs.

"Cas?" Allen turns back around just as I fall down on all fours and retch violently. "Cas!" he rushes over to me, dropping down on his knees and grabbing my shoulders as they shake.

My body heaves, and I cough loudly as freezing liquid dribbles from my chin.

"That's not…" Lenalee trails off as she runs back over to us.

I look down as the clear fluid dribbles down my chin and splatters across the dirt road.

It's not Blood.

It's water.

"Cas." I look up as Allen squeezes my shoulders. "Talk to me. Can you breathe?"

I take a deep breath and thankfully inhale a huge mouthful of air.  
I gasp. "Uh huh."

"Well, I think it's safe to say there's definitely something going on here," Lenalee declares as Allen helps me to my feet, "You're like a beacon for this sort of thing, Cas."

"Happy to be of service," I grumble.

Allen grips my arm. "Maybe you should sit down."

"I'm fine," I reply as I wave off his concerns, "Lenalee's right; we should continue with the investigation, and find out what my empathy is trying to say."

Allen raises an eyebrow. "How do you feel?"

"Cold," I reply as I step away from him. "Cold and…scared."

"Are you alright, dearie?" We all turn around just as a kind-looking old woman with long grey hair swept up in a bun hobbles out of a little shop towards us. "I saw what just happened. Did you have some kind of attack?"

"I guess you could say that," I reply, smiling weakly. "But I'm fine now. I-Whoa…" I falter as a wave of dizziness washes over me.

"Cas!" Allen grabs me around the arms, steadying me as I lean on him heavily.

"Oh dear, we must get you out of this heat," the woman declares, beckoning us forward. "Come, come inside for some cold drinks. You all must be stifling in those heavy things."

She then turns, and we follow her into the shade of her open store. Through the main business area and into the living quarters of the building. There's a small but homely little living room with the windows flung wide open to keep the cool air flowing.

"Thank you very much for your kindness," Lenalee says as Allen leads me over to the low sofa.

"Not at all. We don't get many visitors in our isolated little village, so I do my best to be hospitable," the woman replies before vanishing into another room to fetch us some drinks.

As Lenalee wanders about the parlor, examining all the antique looking artifacts lining the walls and shelves, I sit slumped forward on the couch and try not to pass out. The fogginess comes in waves, making me feel like I might puke all over the very fancy carpet at any second.

"How are you doing?" My eyes flit to Allen as he rubs tender circles around my back.

"Not great," I grimace, "I'm sorry about this. I feel like I'm impeding the investigation."

"Don't be," Allen asserts, smiling warmly, "It's no trouble at all, really. You know I'd do anything for you."

I look at him, startled, but the woman returns with a tray of drinks before I can respond.

She passes one to me, and I take a generous sip, feeling the cool liquid clearing my mind almost instantly.

"How's that, dear?"

I nod. "Much better. Thanks."

"Now then, what brings you all to our village anyways?" the woman then inquires as she hands Allen and Lenalee their glasses.

Lenalee takes a sip of her drink before responding. "Well, we actually only happened across your town accidentally, but we've heard you're having water problems, and we'd like to help if it's at all possible.

"Ah, yes," the woman sighs deeply, "It's been such a terrible plight upon us these last few weeks. No one seems to know what to do, not even the fortune teller."

I raise an eyebrow. "Fortune teller?"

"Yes, they could tell anyone's fortune with the help of a crystal ball. They were exceptionally accurate too; nary a false premonition to be seen. The whole town was delighted with how truthful these predictions were. However, about a month ago, they stopped telling their fortunes. No one really knows why."

"A month ago…" Allen trails off, shooting Lenalee and me a knowing glance.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," the former says to the old woman, getting to her feet, "But we should be going now. Would you mind telling us where the fortune teller lives?"

"I'd be happy to. It's right at the end of this street as a matter of fact: the last house on your right with the big walled courtyard. You can't miss it."

"Thank you," Allen says to her, setting down his empty glass before he turns to me, "Are you alright to stand?"

"I'm fine," I assert, stubbornly getting to my feet without his help, but it makes the room pitch violently, and I almost fall forward.

Something feels really off…like there's a disconnect of some kind.

"Hey, it is okay to lean on me," Alle lightly chides, offering me his arm, "I don't bite."

I scowl slightly, but relent, gripping his elbow as we follow Lenalee to the door.

"That's quite the dedicated boyfriend you've got there, sweetheart," the old woman calls after us, winking at me. "He's a keeper."

My face flames. "Oh no! He's not my-." However, Allen leads me out the door before I can fully get the words out.

* * *

Allen and I follow Lenalee down the street in the direction the old woman said the fortune teller's home was.

"There's bound to be some connection between this person and the water shortages," she declares, "It's just too much to be a coincidence."

"It's strange though," Allen remarks, "At this point, we're nearly certain there's Innocence involved here, and yet I haven't seen any Akuma."

"Perhaps they haven't quite caught the scent yet," I surmise.

"That's true," Allen agrees, grinning up at me. "They don't have you to help them out."

I find myself flushing again. "Thank God."

"This is the place," Lenalee calls to us, stopping before a large but secluded home that is heavily fortified by a high wall made of red and white painted stone.

I falter as we approach. "Um, where's the doorbell?"

"Hello?" Lenalee approaches the large red door, "Is anyone home?"

No response.

"Maybe they're out?" Allen offers.

Tentatively, Lenalee places her hand on the handle and the door opens just the barest amount.

We all gather around the crack and peer through it into the garden beyond, only to come face to face with a bent and wrinkled old man all dark eyes and shaggy grey beard.

"Who are you?!"

We all scream and fall jump back as the door swings open all the way.

"Why did you come here?" the man demands, stalking forward and brandishing his cane threateningly.

Geez, he's like my grandmother.

"You see sir, we're doing some investigating," Allen starts as we scramble to our feet.

"And we heard that you stopped telling people's fortunes around the same time the water started drying up," I continue.

"How dare you!" the man exclaims, swinging his cane and we all dive further backward, scrambling to avoid getting struck. "Get out! And don't come back!"

"Wait, please just tell us why you stopped seeing people," Lenalee pleads.

"I have nothing to say to you!"

"But any information you have could help us," Allen insists.

"I said no! Now leave."

"Grandfather?"

A small voice makes us all pause.

"Who's that?" Lenalee inquires as we look over the old man's shoulder to see a tiny little girl around eight or nine standing in the middle of the courtyard. She's wearing a silky pink dress with a crown of smooth white shells tied around her head. Her hair and eyes are both dark brown; the former is short aside from two braids draped across her shoulder and the latter are big and brown as they gaze curiously at us.

Her eyes meet mine and something sparks in the back of my mind.

She looks at me, and her eyes grew wide as they flood with fear.

I'm floored as a wave of emotions surge into me, too much for me to handle.

My hand goes to the side of my hand, fisting a handful of my hair as my skull throbs under my fingers.

My vision swims in and out of focus, and I hardly notice the little girl as she approaches me, despite the faint protests of the old man.

It's like everything else just falls away, and it's juts me and the girl looking up at me with her wide, terrified eyes.

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but the girl places a hand on my chest.

A shock runs through my body, and I convulse, staggering backwards to evade her touch.

"Mei Ling, come inside," the old man cries, grabbing the little girl around the waist and hauling her through the gate, slamming the door behind him.

The world turns a somersault, and I feel like my stomach drops into my shoes.

"Cas, are you…"

I don't hear the rest of Allen's question as I fall to the ground and finally pass out.

* * *

A full moon

A place I don't recognize: a forest full of trees without branches…thin, slender and green.

Blood seeping into the dark grass.

My Blood.

Mixing with someone else's.

A shadow standing over me.

Reaching towards me…

My eyes slowly open as the dream seeps away, draining down into the depths of my mind. Reality slowly flows back into clarity.

I find myself lying in a bed I don't recognize, fully clothed and with something cool and damp draped across my forehead.

"Welcome back," I see Allen smiling down at me as he presses the wet washcloth to my brow. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I reply, slowly sitting up. A quick glance to the window shoes that it's late evening. "Where are we?"

"A hotel," Allen explains, "We brought you here after you collapsed outside the fortune teller's house. Lenalee talked with Lavi and the others a little while ago. They haven't been able to investigate the lake much because there are a lot of townspeople guarding the lake. They don't want a fight, so they're going to wait until it's dark to investigate further."

"I see," I nod distractedly.

"Hey," Allen presses his palm to my forehead. "You okay?"

I shrug. "I don't know…I'm just, confused, I guess."

"That girl," Allen drops his eyes, "Having contact with her seemed to make you freak out. Do you know what that is? Is she a Noah?"

"No," I shake my head firmly. "She's not that. When I encounter a Noah, it's crippling; it's like I can feel my entire body falling under their power, but with her: all I felt was…fear."

"Fear?"

" _Her_ fear, more specifically."

"So, does that make her a-?"

"Yes, I do believe she's at least had contact with the Innocence, but if I can feel her emotions, she's most definitely an Accommodator."

Allen looks thoughtful. "I wonder what happened to make her so afraid, to make them stop telling fortunes." He pauses, stifling a yawn.

"I guess we'll have to try and get them to talk to us tomorrow." I declare, ruffling his hair, "Why don't you get some sleep?"

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be fine," I assure him, heaving myself off the bed. I pull off my wrinkled cloak and throw it over my shoulder. "I'm going to go have a wash. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright. 'Night, Cas."

"Good night, Allen."

I then exit the room, closing the door behind me. Down the hall, I see that the main sitting room of the suite is still fully lit.

I move down the corridor and into the brightly lit lounge to see Lenalee sitting at the low table, a cup of tea in a traditional ceramic cup cradled in her hands.

She glances up as I enter. "Oh! You're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I say flatly, tossing my cloak onto the couch and sitting down on the floor beside her. "Allen's going to sleep," I add after a moment.

"Good," Lenalee sips her drink. "He's probably tired. He was fussing over you all afternoon."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Lenalee eyes me over the rim of her cup. "He really cares about you."

"Well, I should hope so," I remark, "I consider him my best friend and all; I'd hope that the feeling's mutual."

"That's not what I…" Lenalee drops her eyes, turning from me as her long, deep green pigtails dance around her shoulders, "Never mind."

I eye her oddly. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

It's in this moment, as I look at Lenalee, that I realize that I didn't really know her all that well. Sure, I'd made her acquaintance nearly a year ago, but I hadn't really talked to her during all these months I'd been with the Order. At least, not sat down and had a meaningful conversation or even just an extended discourse that was more than passing small talk.

I can't really say that it strikes me as all that strange that I've been spending more time with my male colleagues than my lone female one. I'd always found that I've related far more to boys my age than girls. With the exception of Emma, I hadn't had any female friends growing up in Waterende.

It didn't bother me necessarily; after all, Lenalee and I were _very_ different girls, and I couldn't really see myself talking to or getting to know her in any other worldly situation.

It did make for a rather awkward conversation at the moment though.

"So, um," I'm cut off, almost thankfully, by an abrupt knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Lenalee inquires allowed as she gets to her feet and goes over to the door of our motel room.

Almost as soon as she opens it, a tiny figure with a green shawl thrown over her shoulders scampers into the room. I recognize the dark, fearful eyes.

"It's you," I exclaim, getting to my feet. "Mei Ling, right?"

"Y-Yes," the girl replies quietly, averting her eyes. "I'm sorry for coming so late, but I say you today, and I just…" she trails off.

"Why don't you sit down?" Lenalee leads the girl over to the table and gets her settled. "Do you want anything?"

Mei Ling shakes her head, staring intently at her lap.

"Hey, there's no need to be afraid," I assure her, gently clasping her chin between her thumb and forefinger and lifting her face, so she can see my reassuring smile. "We don't bite."

The tips of Mei-Ling's lips curl up into the barest of smiles before it drops down again and a haunting look fill her eyes. "It is you," she whispers, pulling back from me, "It really is you."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I saw you this morning, and I recognized you from a vision," Mei Ling explains quietly, "A vision I'd had…I'd had."

"Of the future," I finish grimly.

"Wait! You're the fortune teller?" Lenalee is aghast, "I thought it was your grandfather."

Mei Ling shook her head, "No. I'm the one who tells the fortunes, and I'm so sorry about earlier. My grandfather's just really worried about me, that's why he was so mean and drove you away."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Lenalee assures her.

"Yeah. We're fine, and besides, I don't believe we've been properly introduced," I add. "This is Lenalee," I gesture towards her, "And I'm Cas Williams," I hold out a hand to her.

Mei Ling stares at it oddly.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch Lenalee pointedly gesturing to me.  
'We bow here' she mouths.

"Oh! Right," I quickly retract my hand and dip my head in a slight gesture of indication. Mei Ling returns it, still appearing uncertain.

I sigh as I drop to one knee in front of her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you tell us why you came here tonight?"

"Because-Because I'm worried about the town. The water's almost gone," Mei Ling blurts, tears gathering in her eyes, "Before, I enjoyed telling people's fortunes and seeing how happy it would make them, but now…It's just awful! Everyone's suffering so much."

Lenalee leans forward in her seat. "So then, do you know what's going on?"

Mei Ling sniffs, shaking her head. "No. I don't."

"But you are a fortune teller, right?" I ask of her, "And a pretty damn good one too from what we've heard. If you truly can look into the future, then why don't you use those abilities to see why the water's drying up?"

But Mei Ling just looks at me, the tears falling thicker and faster down her round cheeks. "But I-I'm not able to tell fortunes anymore."

"Oh, Mei Ling, don't cry," Lenalee exclaims, reaching out to wipe some of the tears from her face. "Here." She reaches into the pocket of her coat and pulls out a handkerchief.

"Thank you, Ms. Lenalee," Mei Ling whispers before blowing her nose.

Lenalee smiles. "Oh, please, just Lenalee."

"Okay, Lenalee." Mei Ling's lips curl up once more in just the barest hint of a grin.

"So, why exactly is it that you can't tell fortunes anymore?" I inquire.

Mei Ling closes her eyes, "The only way that I was able to discern fortunes before was through my crystal ball, and I can't now because grandfather and I threw it away."

"Where is it?" Lenalee asks.

"We threw it into the lake…about a month ago."

My heart drops into my stomach; I turn to see my own shock reflected in Lenalee's face.

"You did that a month ago?" she whispers.

"Yes."

"Well then," I get to my feet, "It's probably the crystal ball that's causing the water to dry up."

It made sense now: those visions of a deep darkness, spilling water from my lips on dry land, a sense of disconnect.

An Innocence separated from its Accommodator, crying out for help from the depths.

I glance over at Lenalee to see she's looking at Mei Ling intently.

I felt a funny notion in the pit of my stomach.

Is that…nostalgia?

Before I can question it further, I see Mei Ling's expression and I'm instantly sobered.

She looks horrified. "Are-Are you saying that I'm the one that caused the water to dry up?" Her bottom lip trembles, a sob escaping from her lips.

"No. Of course not," Lenalee asserts, placing her hands on the girl's trembling shoulders. "You couldn't have known."

"The ball's got to be Innocence," I declare, crossing my arms.

Mei Ling looks up at me. "Innocence?"

"Yes, it's an object that contains unbelievable power," Lenalee explains soothingly.

"Mei Ling," I get the girl's attention, "Why did you throw the crystal ball away? What made you do that?"

She pales, her expression stricken.

I feel a surge of burning terror. My knees buckle and I lean against the table as Lenalee comforts Mei Ling, tears spilling from the girl's eyes once more.

"It's because…" Mei Ling's voice is barely a whisper. "We did it…I didn't mean to do anything wrong!" she sobs, burying her face in her hands.

"Hey, it's okay," Lenalee rushes to her once more, "Everything's going to be alright."

I'd just recovered from my surge of empathy when the door suddenly flies open with a bang. Allen bursts into the room, his left eye full activated.

"Cas! Lenalee! Akuma-!" He's cut off when a loud bang goes off behind him.

"Allen!" I shoot out a whip of Blood, pulling him out of harm's way as the doorway behind him erupts into fire. My vision goes white as I fall backwards, holding Allen against me as we hit the ground.

Blinking rapidly, I sit up as the room is plunged into soot and darkness. However, I can still clearly make out the bulky shape of the Akuma sidling into the room.

Mei Ling screams. "What is that thing?"

"Get down!" Lenalee herds her behind the couch just as Allen and I jump to our feet.

He fires his gun and several bullets tears the Akuma apart, opening the doorway and only creating space for the rest of the horde.

Allen jumps into the fray, and I'm about to follow but pause and hurry over to the sofa to grab my Exorcist cloak.

"Where are you going?" Mei Ling whimpers as I throw the cloak over my shoulders.

I shoot her a reassuring smile. "Just stay here, and keep your head down."

Lenalee and I are about to leave to join Allen when I catch sight of Mei Ling looking at me. Her face is chalk white as she stares not at me but at my cloak hanging from my body. Tears slip from her wide eyes as she reaches out with a shaking hand, her fingers brushing ever so slightly against the gleaming badge.

An image flashes in my mind, quick like a fire's shadow when it's disturbed by wind: I see the silver crest covered in Blood.

"NO!" Mei Ling's shriek breaks the spell.

"Mei Ling!" Lenalee cries and I whirl around in time to see the little girl bolt out the door and sprint out into the darkened street, her green shawl falling away behind her.

"Hey, come back!" I yell, about to follow when the ground erupts around my feet, peppered with venomous bullets.

Lenalee and I jump to evade, spilling out into the street. Several coils explode from my clothes and slice the prowling Akuma apart.

"Mei Ling!" Lenalee cries again, taking off in the direction the little girl had vanished.

"Cas?!" I see Allen wrestling with the lingering creatures just as more of them swoop over our heads. "I've got this. Go!"

I nod before jumping up onto the high wall framing the street, chasing the Akuma as they persue Lenalee and Mei Ling.

"Legs!" I yell, launching a spear through the closest one while wrapping a coil around another. I let it pull me down onto the ground, catching a glimpse of Lenalee's bobbing green pigtails as I tuck and roll, hitting the ground amidst the exploding shrapnel.

As I get my bearings, I hear Mei Ling scream.

"Shit," I grit my teeth as I tear around a corner.

I see Lenalee hurrying over to Mei Ling, the terrified girl frozen in place as a gigantic silver serpent Akuma leer down at her while still more Level Is drop down from the sky.

"Legs!"

In a flash of green light, Lenalee's Innocence activates. She kicks backwards, turning a somersault in midair before bringing her Dark Boots down through the Akuma's bodies, kicking them apart.

I twist my body, Blood curling out from my form as I pierce the others, all of them erupting in a cacophony of fire and smoke.

Then I hear Mei Ling scream again.

"No!" I turn as Lenalee sprints forward, following the twisted silhouette of the snake-like Akuma weaving through the sky, something clasped firmly in its claws.

I follow her up until she leaps into the sky, her Dark Boots streaking behind her as she flies upwards towards the Akuma, hands reaching desperately.

I draw up short, a gasp catching in my throat as a violent blast knocks Lenalee back.

"Legs!" I scream as she tumbles through the air in heavy free fall.

"Mei Ling!" she cries out as she falls.

I snarl in frustration. The wings would have come in handy here, but I hadn't been able to do them again since our ordeal in Nepal.

I clench my teeth, my Blood surging in my body as I thrust myself forward, hurling myself into the air. I meet Lenalee halfway as she falls, my arms encircling her, holding her against my chest as Blood unravels from under my clothes and shoot outwards to snag anything and everything in their reach.

We drop down sharply before jerking up as the ropes lose slack, bouncing somewhat. I stand on tiptoes, my boots just touching the ground as the dozens of Blood each gripping different parts of the surrounding walls and roofs and all back to the single point of us, still partially suspended against the webbing.

I look down at Lenalee as she buries her face in my shoulder, crying quietly.

"Mei Ling, no…"

I glance back up in time to see the snake-like Akuma carrying Mei Ling vanish behind the moon.

* * *

A/N: So, there we are. Another chapter's done, leave a review, questions for me or for Cas on your way out if you feel so inclined:D


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Sorry I didn't post last week. I had midterms, and I also went to visit my family. Regardless, I hope it's worth the wait;)

* * *

From: TitanOfStone  
A: Awww Cas, you beacon of shitstorm  
Not much I can say about this chaps except that Allen, your stomach does NOT know what time is appropriate and what is not XD laugh so hard when all he asked for was food  
And what was Lenalee trying to sayyyy? (High note here) welp, can't blame her tho, she might have a crush on Allen XD... *cough* as does Cas *cough*  
So, I got questions for YOU and Cas to answer, here goes nothing!  
For you:  
-Why do you have profanity filters on when I ise the same swear words as your stories XD. I'm not offended and don't mean to offend you, just curious. I literally use the words Cas use, duh!  
-Cas reminded me of Ghouls in Tokyo Ghouls series. Did you read that? Hughly recommened

A: She really is, but she's almost as handy to have around as Allen.  
Yeah, Allen reminds me of my little brother who also has a crazy fast metabolism.  
I left that rather ambiguous but I suppose you can look at it like this: Lavi likes Lenalee, Lenalee likes Allen (but also kind of likes Lavi), Allen loves Cas, Cas *might* love Allen. Bit of a hot mess.  
Questions for me:  
I actually had the profanity filter on at the request of my mother when I first joined this site four years ago. I have since removed it as, as you said, it doesn't make much sense now. Sorry about that.  
Yes! I have seen the Tokyo Ghoul anime and read at least part of the manga. I even have an OC for it, which I'll probably write at some point soon (possibly). Ironically, I got into Tokyo Ghoul and D Gray Man in the same summer so Cas and the TG OC Katya were actually created around the same time. Cas's abilities were inspired from both the Ghouls in Tokyo Ghoul and also Crona in Soul Eater. The more you know~

From: Oz  
Q: I remember hating this episode and the next two when I first watched it, but sometime later I realised that maybe it was a good thing that what is about to transpire happens. Poor lanalee...  
I wonder how Cas will manage in the next chapter, she can never catch a break huh?  
Author-San.  
P.S Have you watched man hallow yet? The story is really good, so is the art!

A: Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of these episodes either. To me, Lenalee is the *least* interesting of the four main characters, so I didn't find these episodes focused on her to be that stimulating. Regardless, I did like how the Lulu Bell arc ended, and there are some really great character moments for Cas/Callen moments so that will make it fun at least for me.  
YES! I'VE WATCHED HALLOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was tracking that show since it was announced earlier this year. I flipped my shit! Everything is sooooo gorgeous and beautiful and Allen is so stunning and TYKI *drools* I think I've watched the episodes like four times now. I'm so sad it's ended and I hope to God they have more episodes once the manga finishes because if not, they've left it on an even worse cliffhanger than the original anime! My babies! *sobs*

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I wouldn't mind a pole dancer Allen, either... he sure has the upper body strength for it.

A: He really does. Cas would approve XD

From: Guest  
Q: OMG I hav't read a story this good in a long while! Please continue!

A: Awww, thanks so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it:D

From: LordKirkleton  
Q: Oh man oh man. I've been checking in randomly since you first posted this story, and wow I was last up to chapter 15, so I decided to read it from the start again. So good, Cas really has come a long way from being so detached, unemotional and rude. Well she can still be a bit rude but now she doesn't mean to hurt anyone with it, like a bad habit she's trying to stop. I really love how human and flawed she is, so many OCs have tones of qualities that are just too perfect and like one tiny flaw that they/they author thinks is really debilitating. But I LOVE to read about a character who is very flawed and trying to be better, they're aware they're kind of shitty and need to improve themself. Even better is that she's being helped and humbled by friends. I also adore that you give some interactions with characters that are sometimes left to the side and ignored (like Krory) and made her and the readers realize that they're human too, they're not just a 2D image on the screen, they're just like you too. Argh so good! And that scene where she jumped Allen... I was screaming to myself "NO, CAS, NO! DON'T DO IT! Consent! Allen didn't give you consent stop pls!" And it terrified me for him. Not often do you get situations that it's the man who's consent isn't given, but it's just as important as a women's. Since that whole stupid "men shouldn't complain if a women forces herself on him, he should like getting some." is a toxic thing that exists nowadays. Vice versa for us ladies too, but it's guess dreadfully unheeded sometimes. I got off topic there but ANYWAY, I can't wait for another update to see what glorious chapter you'll bestow upon us readers :)  
Too lazy to login, LordKirkleton :)

A: Wow! Thanks so much for taking the time to catch up and to write this wonderful review! I'm so happy you think that Cas is more three dimensional. As a reader of fanfiction as well as writer, I understand how boring it can be when an OC is underdeveloped, so I try really hard to make them and their personal stories as interesting as the source material. I'm thrilled you think I'm succeeding. I was so touched that my writing has brought out those thoughts and feeling about these characters ;) Also, you are very correct about that sadly toxic mindset that it still around today. I never would have thought this story would become a bit of an unintentional experiment in gender roles, but hey, I'm having fun with it. You're review was lovely, thanks so much from the bottom of my heart :D

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS:

Cas: Okay, what am I doing?

Me: These good people just want to ask you a few questions. For instance, here's one from TitanOfStone:  
"For Cas:  
-...I forgot what I want to ask...  
-Joking. Well, since you don't have a pumpin heart, does that means your blood moves on its own, or does your brain and all other organs get its oxygen supply from overproducing and passive movement of blood?"

Cas: Wait…HOW DO THESE PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THAT?

Me: Calm down, they're in a parallel dimension. It's not compromising to you in the slightest

Cas: Still! I don't like people knowing all my personal business and shit

Allen: Just answer the stupid question, Cas

Cas: Fine. My heart produces Blood without needing to pump, it just kind of flows out freely like water from a spring. I suppose that's the best way I can describe it.

Me: Great! Next questions from TitanOfStone:  
"Your ribs was reinforced, yeah, but I'm kinda curious if thr intercostal muscles and all that are still the same as it was before? Or are they reinforced too?"

Cas: I-I'm honestly not sure. I'd imagine my lungs probably are after what happened in Romania, but I haven't had a full body X Ray in a while so I can't be certain. Regardless, my body is designed to protect my heart, so any vital organ crucial to my, and therefore its, survival is probably strengthened.

Me: Okay, last one from TitanOfStone: "As someone with knowledge in medicine and all that it's related, I envy you for not having to worry about getting Coronary Heart Disease, Valvular Heart, and all that... (You can get dyslipidemia and hypertension as fucking high as you can. Jealous :) Then again, I'd rather not be a Beacon of Trouble with that emphatic link of yours :p"

Cas: I am _such_ a Beacon of Trouble!

Allen: You are not!

Cas: Anyways, I suppose it has its benefits, you know when I'm not vomiting Blood or drowning in vital fluids, but I mean, I don't really have to worry about ANY kind of disease to be honest. Given the time, my Blood can heal just about anything.

Me: Okay, one last thing: "Not a question, but I totally shipped you and Allen-"

Cas: What? What does that mean?

Allen: I'm confused too. 'Ship', like they want to put us in boxes and mail us?

Me: No. They mean they want you to be together.

Cas: We are together.

Me: No, together _romantically_.

Cas: WHAT?

Allen: They-They do?

Me: Yep. In fact, they added: "KISS HIM! KISS HIM!"

Cas: What?! But I…Um. N-No, I-I can't see that happening.

Me: Seriously?

Cas: Well, I-

Allen: Do you really mean that, Cas? *gives sad puppy dog eyes*

Cas: N-No, don't! Don't give me that look. I'm just saying that if there was ever a time I'd kiss you it would be if you needed an empathic energy transfer. You know, like with Lenalee, and I hope to God we're never in that kind of situation.

Me: Well…

Cas: What?

Allen: Can I see this? *takes the computer* Hey! It's not just them. A lot of people 'ship' us.

Cas: Are you kidding me? Let me see that!

Allen: *holds the computer out of her reach* Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something.

Cas: Don't be ridiculous, Allen *takes computer from him*

Allen: I'm not being ridiculous. I-Well…

Cas: You what?

Allen: The thing is, Cas-

Me: *claps a hand over his mouth* ON THAT NOTE. Let's get on with the story, shall we?

Cas: It also says: "Great chaps, as always. Looking forward to my questions getting and Cas beating the crap outta me XD" Well, they're in luck because I am so beating the ever loving shit out of this person.

Allen: Please, don't do that. Feel free to ask Cas more questions and me too if you want.

Me: Give me my computer back!

* * *

Chapter 37: Wavering Accommodator

* * *

I set Lenalee down on the ground as gently as I can; she falls to her knees almost as soon as she does so, tears brimming in her eyes as she gazes off in the direction the Akuma had taken Mei Ling.

"Legs. Hey, Legs," I drop down beside her and grip her shoulder just as Allen races over to us.

"What's happened? Is everyone alright?"

"They took her," Lenalee sobs, "They took Mei Ling."

Allen's eyes widen. "What?"

"But they didn't kill her," I grip Lenalee's shoulders and turn her towards me. "Remember that, Legs. They didn't kill her. They need her for something, now what might that be?"

Lenalee looks at me, her eyes shining as her bottom lip trembles.

"Legs, don't freeze up on me," I cry, biting back a groan of frustration. "Think about it."

"They're taking her to the lake," Allen finally says.

"Exactly," I commend, getting to my feet as I grip Lenalee's wrist and pull her up as well. "They're after the Innocence; they probably can't get to it without-"

"Without its Accommodator," Lenalee finishes for me.

I look at her as she wipes her eyes.

"It's going to be okay, Lenalee," Allen assures her, stepping closer to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

I avert my eyes, crossing my arms.  
"We need to move."

Allen nods in agreement. "Come on, Lenalee."

With that, we take off running.

* * *

We sprint through the trees, nothing but dense black shapes looming out at us from the darkness.

Allen is in the lead, his eye activated as he scans the area ahead of us.  
"There's a lot of Akuma up ahead," he calls back to Lenalee and me as we near the lake.

Seconds later, an explosion goes off a few yards ahead and the whole forest is momentarily consumed in brilliant light.

"That was probably Lavi," I remark as we scramble up a cliff, breaking the tree line.

As soon as we do so, a dark shape swoops over our heads.

"Mei Ling!" Lenalee cries.

"Lenalee!" I hear the girls terrified screams and feel her fear radiating in my chest.

It doesn't deter me, and I keep running, but only get a few more paces when a new sensation washes over me.

It feels like a big chunk of my being has suddenly been ripped away, I feel hollow and incomplete; the empty space within me burns. I gasp as all the color drains from my face and freezing water springs from my lips and eyes.

My arms curl around my torso and I stagger, my pace slowing considerably.

"Cas?" I hear Allen call.

"I'm alright," I assert, even though I'm not at all.

I feel horrible, like I'm about to puke and pass out at the same time, but I keep running.

Lenalee takes the lead as we draw closer to the lake, running in the shadow of the Akuma carrying Mei Ling. She screams again, and we run faster.

I lag behind, my feet feeling heavier with each step. We streak through the last line of trees and finally break into a clearing. As soon as we do so, a deafening churning sound fills my ears as the lake spreads out before my eyes.

Or rather, what's left of it: most of the expanse is a dried up plane of mud, but plenty of water still churns at its center. Frigid liquid thunders around in a continuous circle around a familiar pale green glow radiating out from the center.

I look out at it, at Mei Ling's crystal ball as its power spins out of control.

I repress a sob, clapping a hand over my mouth. The emptiness, the disconnect.

The Innocence is screaming.

The Akuma cackles as it swoops down over the center of the lake. Out of the corner of my eye, the trees suddenly catch fire.

Lavi and Krory are nearby, but I don't know how close or far.

It doesn't matter anyways, because Mei Ling suddenly screams just as the Akuma drops down over the center of the whirlpool. It's claws open, and Mei Ling hangs suspended in the air for the mere space of a heartbeat before she tumbles down towards the luminous depths, shrieking and screaming all the way.

I feel her terror rip through me, and I stop cold.

I see the light below her, churning, writhing, clawing as it reaches out desperately towards something, anything.

Please, fill the void. Give me my other half.

I sink to my knees as they start shaking.

"Mei Ling!" Lenalee's Dark Boots erupt into light as she propels herself forward towards the freefalling girl.

"N-No! Wait!" I cry, but I'm ignored as Lenalee leaps into the air, through the frozen droplets. Her arms coil around Mei Ling's tiny form and the girl collapses shaking and screaming against her.

"Mei Ling, it's alright,"

The Innocence howls and the light explodes outwards. There's a sound like thunder as the tumult of water erupts upwards like a volcano of cold liquid. The water sprays outwards in a colossal wave on all sides, knocking Lenalee holding Mei Ling and the hovering Akuma back several feet.

I scream, feeling that frozen, unforgiving water pouring from my eyes and lips.

"Cas, what is it?" I feel Allen crouch down beside me, gripping my arm.

"It's in pain. It's screaming," I gasp; my heart is burning in my chest.

"What is? What's in pain?"

"Give her back!" I ignore his question as I holler up at Lenalee suspended with Mei Ling above the roaring waters. "Give her back to it. Please! It needs her."

The water suddenly surges again, making the ground shake. Everything becomes frozen and wet, a great wave of water pours outwards from the glowing core.

The Akuma is knocked out of sight as a pulse of energy rockets across the clearing.

Allen activates his arm and curls it around me, shielding me as the trees surrounding us bend and the ground quakes. I feel a few wayward drops alight on my face. They sting.

When Allen retracts his arm, I see Lenalee alight on the bank of the lake with Mei Ling still cradled in her arms.

Just beyond them is an almost blinding white light; I can see it pouring outwards from the center of the lake: a spherical ball of searing energy that slices a fiery beam through the encroaching darkness.

The raw power ravages the landscape for several miles comes radiates out from the Innocence fragment's hunger and desperation.

"Is that?" Mei Ling breathes, "My crystal ball?"

"It's not just a crystal ball," I assert. I don't know how I manage to get to my feet, but I do so, slowly staggering towards Lenalee and Mei Ling. Allen looks at me with concern, but I ignore him. "It's also a piece of Innocence." I move to stand beside Lenalee as Mei Ling looks up at me with wide eyes.

"Innocence?"

"Yeah, it's a kind of fifth element," I explain, wiping any lingering water from my mouth. I feel awful, like I'm going to puke and then pass out afterwards. "It's an ancient power source that can do incredible things, including kill the monster that brought you here."

"And it seems that you've become its Accommodator, Mei Ling," Lenalee adds to the girl.

"Accommodator?"

"People that can use Innocence as a weapon to destroy evil," I explain, "People like us, we're called Exorcists."

"Exorcists…" Mei Ling's eyes flit towards the silver crests gleaming on mine and Lenalee's chests.

"And you're one too," I smile as best I can through my nausea and light headed nice. "At least, you will be, now that you've been chosen as an Accommodator."

Mei Ling's eyes grow even wider. She closes her fists and

I can feel her fear; it's all happening too fast.

The Innocence cries out again, a silent scream expressed only through the tidal waves of water crashing against the banks as the water churns unevenly across the emaciated lake.

The ground beneath us rumbles again just as a dark shape surges over our heads.

We all glance up in time to see the Akuma swoop down towards the Innocence sphere in the center of the lake.

"What's it doing?" Allen asks.

The creature opens its grinning lips and unleashes a surge of fire straight towards the Innocence. It evaporates before even coming close to the shard, encased within its vaporous barrier.

The Akuma snarls in frustration. "Take this!" Sparks of yellow energy erupt from its fingers but these

I feel a surge of fire erupt in the pit of already knotted stomach.

I hit the ground again, my head spinning.

"Cas, what is it?" Allen cries, rushing over to me as I clap a hand over my mouth. My insides are burning under my skin. I can feel the Innocence's agony.

"I-I'm fine."

"You must certainly are not!" Allen insists.

As if to prove his point, the Akuma prowling around the radiating Innocence attempts to reach for it, but lets out a shriek when its arm comes into contact with the ball's light and begins to disintegrate, and I scream as well in a mixture of fury and pain that I can't decide whether or not it's my own. I feel the Dark Matter rippling under my skin, the ghost of the Akuma's virus as its body is shredded under the purity of the fragment.

"Cas!" Allen grabs onto me as I pitch forward.

"What's wrong with her?" Mei Ling whispers.

Lenalee looks down at me. I glance up at her and surge forward, my whole body burning.  
"Give her back!" I scream, desperation churning in my as I grab the ends of her skirt and yank on them fiercely. "Give her back! Please! It needs her! It's in pain. It's screaming!"

Lenalee just stares down at me in astonishment.

Held in her grasp, Mei Ling gawks down at me in a mixture of confusion and horror.

Her eyes flit back towards the Innocence, at the power radiating from it. She screams.

Her shrieks echo throughout the clearing, mixing with the frantic, feverent churning of the water, like a panicked heartbeat.

"No! No! Never! Don't make me!" she sobs, burying her face in Lenalee's chest, "

I don't respond. I can't. The emptiness feels like it's consuming me, like it's eating my insides. I fall onto my side and curl up, hugging myself.

Allen remains beside me, holding onto me as Mei Ling continues to cry.  
"About a month ago, the crystal ball showed me a different kind of future, one that was dark and full of death! I knew I had to get rid of it; I didn't mean to. I'm sorry! I love the people of this town and I just tried to make them happy! Why did this happen

The fire seems to be pooling in my chest; my heart…it feels like it's melting.

I scream as I roll onto my back, gripping my chest.  
"Cas," Allen grabs my shoulders, trying to steady me.

His face blurs in and out of focus.

"What's going on?" I faintly hear what sounds like Lavi and Krory approaching us.

"Is everything alright?"

Mei Ling is still crying loudly.

"It's alright, Mei Ling." Lenalee's voice is soothing, and it somehow brings me back into clarity. From my prone position on the ground,

"Wait!" the desperation in my voice mimics the feeling of the Innocence in the water.

Before anyone can stop me, I leap to my feet and sprint after them.

I run back into the shadows of the trees, catching up to the two other girls just as Lenalee sets Mei Ling down on the ground. She kneels before her, looking into her deep brown eyes that are still flooded with tears.

"Listen," she places her hands on her shoulders, "I have to stay here, but I want you to go on home."

The young girl gapes at her, "Really?"

"Yes, really," Lenalee smiles, "I want you to go take care of your grandfather, live a long and happy life, forget all about Innocence or the future. Okay?"

In that moment, I see the truth behind that smile; I see into Lenalee's heart.

There is a loathing, a loathing for what we are, for what we do.

For not having a choice.

It's nearly as blinding as the desperation in the Innocence. The darkness and the light are colliding within me.

A little Chinese girl who just wishes she could walk away.

I'm suddenly angry.

"Are you mental? Why in God's name are you telling her to run away?" I yell, pulling her away from the girl.

Lenalee gapes at me in shock, but I ignore her.

"Mei Ling, listen to me," I lower my voice as I genuflect in front of her and place a hand on her small, trembling shoulder. "I know you're scared, but right now, you're the only one that can fix this. Do you understand? That Innocence chose you to be its Accommodator and right now its surging out of control because it doesn't have you to control it. You're the only one that can keep it at bay, no one else can. So, right now, if you don't want everyone you've ever known or cared about to die, you're going to need to be strong and take back control of that crystal ball, alright?'

She's a kid, and I realize that.

But we need her; regardless of her age, she's the only one that can stop this.

Lenalee is still gawking at me. I raise an eyebrow at her.

I'm right. Fight me.

"But I," I whirl back towards Mei Ling. She staring at her feet; I glimpse tears.

I can feel Lenalee glaring at me.

"How could you say something like that?" she yells. Her hand is around my wrist, pulling me away from the startled Mei Ling until the younger girl's out of earshot.

"Let go of me!" I snarl, yanking my arm free.

"How can you be so cold?" Lenalee looks beyond infuritated.

"Quite easily as a matter of fact."

"Enough with the smarm, bitch," Lenalee hisses. "Do you honestly think you can just say things like that to Mei Ling in such an apathetic way? She's just a kid or did your empathy not pick up on that?"

"Just a kid? So are we!" I exclaim. "And who are you to accuse? How could _you_ say something like that? Knowing full well that she's the only one that could potentially stop this. Are you seriously willing to sacrifice a whole town of innocent people, trying to give her a choice you know she doesn't have just because you didn't want to be an Exorcist?"

Lenalee's gaze is murderous. "How dare you suggest something like that?"

"I'm right. I know I am."

Lenalee doesn't respond, so I keep going. "Are you seriously trying to shield her from this? Like it or not, this is a black, black world we live in. Even if she had a choice, even if the Innocence hadn't selected her, there would still be pain in her future, there's pain in our lives no matter what we do, and trying to shield her from that is plain nativity. It's stupid and selfish."

"You're one to talk about selfish!" Lenalee snaps. "Wanting to walk away after Barcelona because you couldn't hack it! You thought we had a choice then!"

I grit my teeth. "Yeah! Maybe I did! But then Allen reminded me otherwise. Maybe I only became an Exorcist at first because it was something to do besides drinking, getting high or sleeping with strangers. But I see differently now, because of Allen, because of what he says about us. I never had a choice from the day I was born, but I don't care because in the end it's worth it!" I'm so angry, I might want to punch her in this moment, but I don't.  
I pause to draw breath. "For me, becoming an Exorcist was a fucking godsend. Maybe it wasn't for you, but at least you have your brother. How selfish are you really? To hold on to the fact that you were brought to the Black Order against your will. There's pain in the world, there's so much of it, and it brings about all the darkness that we have to destroy, and it's never easy. But just..." I momentarily trail off. "Just think of all the good we do. All the lives we've saved. Don't you remember Liverpool? It's hard but isn't…isn't it worth it?'

Lenale doesn't respond. She's just looking at me, biting her lip as it starts to tremble.

"Forget it," I spat, turning sharply from her and stalking back towards the lake and the Innocence as it continues to scream out in agony in a voice only I can hear.

Perhaps it's making me irrational, but I don't care.

I feel a familiar ice in my veins. I know what this is, what this means, but in this moment I don't care.

I might be going back, but I can't see anything past that blinding light.

I'm running again before I even realize my feet are moving.

I hit the ground hard, collapsing onto my knees as the venom continues to surge in my chest. I claw at my chest. "My h-heart," I gasp, struggling for air.

"Is she going into cardiac arrest?" Krory inquires.

"I'm not even sure she can do that," Allen asserts.

I'm not looking or listening to any of them. My gaze is focused solely on the Innocence burning in the center of the cold lake, shadowed Akuma flanking it as they prowl around its barrier.

I have to get to it.

"Get out of my way."

I see his eyes widen as realization dawns in them.

But I don't care.

I don't care.

I brush past Krory and Lavi, who are looking at me dumbfounded, and continue towards the lake and the Innocence at its center.

"Cas, wait!" Allen grabs my arm, pulling me back.

"Get off me." I shove him back, causing him to fall into Lavi

I continue on. iWith each step I take, I feel the fire alleviate slightly.

Dirt turns to mud as I step off the bank and into the moist lake.

"Cas!" Allen screams after me.

I hear desperation in his voice.

I don't care.

Frozen water pools around me. The Akuma pounces from the shadows of the Innocence's light: the claws of its remaining arm reaching towards me.

I don't flinch or even turn towards it as a thick, red tentacle erupts from my back and slices towards it. The creature screams as its ripped to dust.

The tentacle snaps through the air before several more join each, each one curling out from the center of my back, twining through the air, stretching towards the water.

The molded liquid surges towards them, white rippling across red as they connect.

I gasp, my mind goes momentarily white and I drop to my knees in the black light.

I feel jolts of raw, desperate energy coursing through my veins.

"It's okay," I breathe, managing to regain control of myself as I stagger back to my feet, stumbling forward a few labored steps. "It's okay," I repeat.

It's hurting. It's afraid.

"It's going to be alright," I'm close to it now, it's white light is almost blinding. I squint as I stagger forward, my hands and tentacles reaching towards the crystal ball Innocence. "I know you're scared, but it's going to be okay."

My feet drag in the thick mud, soaking up to ankles as I approach the shining sphere, my hands tentatively hovering over it. Energy crackles across its alabaster surface.  
"Shhh. It's going to be okay."

I then reach out and my fingers touch the Innocence's pearly surface. Almost instantly, a white hot agony surges into my body.

I jerk back with a scream, my entire body convulsing as I fall to the ground.

I hit the soft mud, sinking into the cold, dampness.

My whole body is shaking and aching as though I've been shocked.

I gasp once before a thunderous crash surges in my ears.

My vision focuses for a mere second before its consumed in water.

* * *

 _"_ _Cas!" My cries are falling on deaf ears. After she knocks me back into Lavi and Krory, she just keeps walking, not once pausing or glancing back._

 _I recognized that look in her eyes. I remember it from when we first met. Her golden eyes like hardened amber, cold and frozen._

 _"_ _Cas!" I try to rush forward, but Lavi grabs my arms._

 _"_ _Allen, hold on!"_

 _"_ _B-But!" I protest, struggling in his grip._

 _We watch as Cas approaches the Innocence in the center of the lake._

 _I can hear my heart hammering in my ears._

 _What is she doing? Why won't she listen to me._

 _"_ _Cas!" My voice is shrill, desperation burning in me._

 _I feel a surge of panic as Cas nears the Innocence but then is suddenly knocked backwards into the mud as though she's been shocked. She doesn't get back up._

 _"_ _Lavi!" I yell, straining in his grip. "Something's wrong."_

 _He releases me, and I start forward, but barely make it two paces before the water suddenly surges and then comes down into the lake, folding in on itself into a massive tidal wave._

 _I watch, horror brewing in me as Cas vanishes into the raging depths._

 _I scream. Then I'm running._

 _"_ _Cas!" Krory sounds horrified as he races after me, Lavi close behind him._

 _I stop at the lake, blind panic surging in me as I start tugging off my boots followed by my coat._

 _"_ _Allen, wait!" Lavi's got a hold of me again._

 _"_ _Get off me!"_

 _"_ _Allen, you can't just dive in," the young Bookman insists. "Krory and I tried to go in after the Innocence earlier and we were nearly sucked into a whirlpool._

 _"_ _Lavi's right," Krory admits. "We almost drowned."_

 _"_ _Cas is going to drown if we don't do something!" I close my hands into fists as my fingers start shaking, panic burning through me._

 _"_ _What's going on?"_

 _We all turn to see Lenalee stepping out of the trees, Mei Ling lingering behind her._

 _I look towards her, helpless._

 _"_ _We have to get that Innocence out of the water," Lavi declares after a pause. "It's the only way we might be able to save Cas."_

 _Mei Ling steps forward. "I want to help."_

 _We all look to her in surprise._

 _Lenalee heaves a heavy sigh. "Mei Ling, there's something I want to say, okay?"_

 _"_ _Um, sure."_

 _"_ _You should know that the path you're about to take may lead you to a more painful, harder future than the one you've already seen. Knowing that, do you still want to do it?"_

 _Mei Ling actually smiles. "Yes."_

 _"_ _Then let's go!" I insist, yanking off my glove and activating my Innocence._

 _Lavi swings his Hammer just as a pack of Akuma lying in wait erupt up from the tree line._

 _Krory snarls, baring his teeth as they streak towards us._

 _"_ _Extend!" the shaft of Lavi's Hammer expands, streaking out towards the center of the lake, the Innocence and the horde of Akuma._

 _Lenalee picks up Mei Ling and activates her Dark Boots, running along the Hammer behind Lavi._

 _"_ _Now, Lenalee!" he calls and the two girls drop from the Hammer and fall down towards the glowing ball of energy surging in the center of the lake's frigid waters._

 _"_ _We're counting on you," I breathe just as Krory and I are nearly overwhelmed._

 _I slash my clawed arm through one enemy before transforming my Weapon and firing through another, I refuse to think in this moment, and instead focus solely on what's directly in front of me._

 _I continue to tear through Akuma with Krory ripping through any I miss. My hind is a haze, matching the erratic green glow of the Innocence as Lenalee and Mei Ling fall towards it._

 _Please. Dear God, please._

 _"_ _Innocence Level II Release!" I turn in time to see a pair of silver crosses erupt from the sides of Lenalee's Weapons, the green light increases and hers and Mei Ling's bodies become blurs as their speed increases._

 _They are an emerald streak shooting down towards the core of waters._

 _There's suddenly a great roar like a thunderclap and a pulse of energy as everything bleeds from green to gold._

 _We all jump back towards the banks to evade the light, destroying any lingering Akuma._

 _"_ _They did it!" Lavi yells, "Right on target."_

 _My heart continues to beat frantically as I look on. The water seems to dissolve. I can't see anything._

 _Then, as quickly as it came, the gold light evaporates in a sudden burst. Fragments of it rain down around us like amber dust._

 _I gasp, siting up. My head is throbbing, and I can barely breathe._

 _I look out towards the lake. The water has settled, only faint ripples remaining as any indication of what had just happened._

 _"_ _Allen!" I turn towards Krory to see that he and Lavi are rushes towards something lying on the beach._

 _Something…no, someone._

 _Cas!_

 _I'm on my feet in an instant, racing towards them. I beat Lavi and Krory as I drop to my knees in the moist sand beside Cas's unconscious form._

 _Her clothes are scorched and shredded, soaking clean through. There's a massive tear in the center of her shirt, exposing the glow of her Innocence heart._

 _Is it my imagination or has the intensity increased?_

 _"_ _Is she alright?" Lavi inquires as he and Krory approach._

 _I immediately bend down and press my ear to her slightly parted lips. Panic erupts in my chest when I can't seem to detect any breathing. But then Cas's body convulses once. She coughs thickly, harshly and water spews from her lips._

 _I breathe a sigh of relief._

 _"_ _Allen?"_

 _I rear back in time to see Cas's golden eyes staring up at me, looking exhausted and confused._

 _But alive._

 _"_ _Welcome back, Cassandra," Lavi calls, grinning down at her._

 _"_ _Oh, I'm so relieved," Krory half sobs, throwing his arms around Cas in an almost bone crushing hug._

 _As he does so, I see Lenalee and Mei Ling alight in the ankle-high waters of the lake. Mei Ling is resting in Lenalee's grip, the crystal ball clutched tightly against her chest._

 _"_ _Lenalee! Are you guys alright?" Lavi hurries towards her, Krory following after a moment._

 _I linger beside Cas as she sits up, folding her cloak around her exposed chest. She looks a mess: her hair is sopping and stringy, her soaked clothes cling to her body is burned tatters. There's mud all over her face and body and several dark weeds are tangled in her hair._

 _After a moment, I speak. "You were going back, weren't you?"_

 _"_ _Afraid so."_

 _I take a deep breath. My suspicions confirmed in a way I hadn't hoped. "Why do you suppose-?"_

 _Cas closes her eyes, "Do you think we can talk about this later? I have the mother of all headaches right now." She reopens her eyes and looks at me intently._

 _I suddenly feel a surge of anger of which I'm unsure of where its directed. I grit my teeth as my arm flails and I start beating Cas in the chest._

 _She recoils. "Ow! Ow! Hey! What gives? I thought you'd be happy I'm alive."_

 _"_ _I am!" I insist, finally stopping to wipe my eyes, "It's just-Stop scaring me like that!"_

 _Cas raises an eyebrow. "You've been on the offending end of that a few times too, you know."_

 _I don't respond. I can't. My emotions are a knotted mess in the pit of my stomach._

 _I finally rush forward and throw my arms around her neck, burying my face in her hair as a sob escapes my lips._

 _Cas stiffens.  
"And now we're hugging."_

 _After a moment, she gingerly returns my embrace._

 _She's soaking wet and smells like lake weed, but I don't care as I pull back from her, gasping as I try to regain control of my emotions. After a moment, I press my forehead to Cas's cool brow, taking a deep breath._

 _Cas laughs reassuringly, leaning back as she looks up at me and trails her fingers through my hair._

 _I finally smile slightly, "I really wish you'd let me help you from time to time."_

 _Cas looks slightly taken aback at the remark, but it eventually evaporates into a smile.  
"Well, you can help me now. I'm not a hundred percent sure I can walk on my own."_

 _I nod in understanding before throwing my arm_

 _She stumbles and leans heavily on me at first, but is eventually able to step away from me and stand upright on her own._

 _As she eventually manages to take a few shaky steps, the others come back over to us with Mei Ling._

 _The young girl is still holding her Innocence crystal ball._

 _It glows faintly._

* * *

A/N: You know what I just noticed? Cas and Lenalee: red and green. Huh.  
Anyways, sorry again for the late update. As always, feel free to leave reviews or questions for me or Cas!


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: To keep on schedule, the chapter that would have been posted this week is still going up. Good thing I had that large coffee today.

* * *

Chapter 38: Lulu Bell's Bell

* * *

Well, this is bringing out all my insecurities.

I scowl at my reflection in the mirror as though daring it to make an objection.

Since my clothes were pretty much all but destroyed while trying to salvage Mei Ling's Innocence, I had to resort to wearing something the girl's grandfather had given me.

I really do hate wearing dresses: all these supposedly feminine garments seem to do is accentuate all my most unfeminine traits.

This is the price I have to pay for not keeping up with laundry.

Heaving a dramatic sigh, I eventually turn myself away from the mirror, exit the guest room, and head off down the hall. The folds of my red dress sweep behind me, the sleeves and skirt stopping far earlier than they should as a natural consequence of my being several inches taller than the average Asian woman.

I eventually make my way into the living room where everyone but Krory is having breakfast. After all the Akuma blood he drank last night, he apparently doesn't need any.

"Well, Mei Ling's grandfather found something that sort of fits," I announce as I sweep into the room, "And I feel stupid."

Allen, Lenalee and Lavi all glance up at my words and each of their faces morph into similar expressions of shock.

"Hey, look at that! Cassandra's a woman!" the latter exclaims, grinning.

"Shut up, Lavi!" I snap, clenching my fists as I stalk over towards the platter of tea and food laid out on the low table.

"Whoa! Those legs really do go all the way up," the young Bookman remarks as I approach.

I grin at this. "You noticed," I pull up my skirt and prop my long leg up on the table amidst the cutlery, "Hands down my best physical quality. What do you think, Allen?" I add to the boy, who's staring at me with his mouth hanging open.

Lavi chuckles. "He seems to agree with you."

I smirk as I lower my leg and lean closer to him. "Don't think I haven't caught you looking."

Allen's face goes crimson. "Shut up!"

I laugh as I lean across the table and pinch his cheeks. "Oh, you are just too much!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Lenalee glaring at me, which eventually causes me to release Allen and lean back onto a cushion on the other side of the table, pulling some of the meal between us all closer so that I can start digging in.

"How's Mei Ling?" I eventually ask.

"Bookman said they'll be sending a Finder from the Asia Branch to come get her," Lavi explains.

"She seems a little nervous, but she's braver than most kids her age," Lenalee adds.

"I'll say," I murmur into my tea.

Lenalee glares at me again, but I just shrug it off.

I'm actually in a really good mood, despite how much of a disaster last night had been.

I suppose I can attest it to bravado because I won an argument.

I can't deny the fact that my Innocence gained the upper hand within my psyche once again. I can't allow that to happen. Even if there's very little chance of me actually dying because of my heart, I can't allow it to drag me back into the cold apathy from before.

I didn't become an Exorcist for nothing.

Not to mention the fact that I can't flake on my comrades like that. I may be a lot of things, but I try my damn hardest to pull my weight and fight alongside my fellow Exorcists in any and all situations.

Now that there are a grand total of six pieces of Innocence gathered together in one place, we can almost guarantee of another, stronger Akuma attack.

At the very least.

I set down my tea, a thought suddenly occurring to me.  
"I just realized that I might need to fight Akuma in this thing."

Lenalee sniffs. "Yeah, that dress isn't really all that appropriate for combat."

I shoot her a pointed glare. "Says the girl who wears skirts shorter than the average belt."

"At least I don't go into battle with a full face of makeup on."

"I have an image to maintain," I assert with a dramatic wave of the hand. "Unlike you; you cheat and wear shorts under that thing."

Lenalee's face goes bright red while Lavi looks intrigued. "How do you…?" the former whispers.

My smile is serpentine as I lean towards her. "Don't think I haven't peeked."

Lenalee recoils. "You can be such a _man_!"

I raise an eyebrow. Did she expect that to be an insult?

"If you want me to be," I declare, my smile never wavering. "If you're ever up for a little bi-curious experimentation, Legs; you know where to find me."  
Lenalee's face goes from red to white.

"Cassandra, cut it out," Lavi chides.

"What?" I exclaim, "You people are all very attractive, and I would sleep with all of you."

Lenalee looks disgusted while Allen chokes on his tea.

Lavi, meanwhile, eyes me curiously, tilting his head to the side as though actually considering it. "Keeping my options open, but I'll table that one for now. I like women that are a little softer, you know what I mean?"

"Fair enough." I then notice that Allen is giving me a very strange look. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Did you mean that?"

I blink. "What? About sleeping with Lavi? Well, if I could gag him then-"

"Hey!"

"No. I meant about sleeping with all of us."

"Well, maybe not all at once, but yeah."

"Would you sleep with Allen, I think is what he's asking," Lavi chimes in.

"Oh!" The question oddly alarms me. I look at Allen, who immediately drops his eyes, now staring intently into his soup.

I think back to a certain escapade in a Middle Eastern hotel bathroom, but that hadn't really had anything to do with _Allen_ specifically. I was just horny and grabbed the first thing I saw.

However, in this odd little breakfast exchange, as I scrutinize Allen sitting across from me: looking at his soft, light features, his silver eyes, his brilliant, lightly tousled white hair, his slightly crooked lips with his rather alluring scar, I realize that he is rather attractive.

Dare I say even gorgeous.

"Yeah," I finally say. "I would."

Allen's head snaps up, eyes wide. "You would?!"

I scoff. "Don't sound so surprised. Have you seen your torso?' I grin, licking the end of my spoon. "I would eat ice cream off that."

Allen claps a hand over his mouth, cheeks in flames while Lavi roars with laughter.

Lenalee puts her head in lap. "Oh my God."

* * *

After breakfast, I find myself roaming the gardens in the courtyard of Mei Ling's grandfather's house. The bliss of my earlier good mood has sense evaporated and all I can feel at the moment is a constricting anxiety.

It is not a pleasant feeling.

"Hey." I jump and whirl around only to see Lenalee standing directly behind me.

I gasp. "Jesus, Legs, don't do that."

Lenalee eyes me pointedly. "Listen, Cas. I think we should talk about what happened last night."

I scowl, crossing my arms. "If you expect me to apologize, it isn't going to happen."

Lenalee's mouth parts in surprise. "But-."

"Look. I only apologize if I mean it, and I won't mean it, so it'll just be wasting everyone's time."

Lenalee's eyes narrow. "Look, Cassandra; like it or not, you and I have to work together in a profession that is a matter of life and death. We can't have any kind of strife between us!"

"Lenalee! Cas!" Mei Ling calls out before I can respond.

We both turn around to see the young girl racing across the garden towards us, her Innocence crystal ball clutched tightly in her small hands.

"Mei Ling, what is it?" Lenalee inquires as she comes up to us, breathless.

"Did you see something?" I add.

The girl nods. "The villagers are being attacked by Akuma."

Mine and Lenalee's eyes widen. "Where are they?" the latter demands.

"Two streets over," Mei Ling replies.

"Come on then," I say as I allow my Blood to curl out from under my skirts. The tendrils snag the edges of the high garden wall, and I use them to propel me over the top and out onto the street.

Lenalee rockets after me, spurned by her Boots, carrying Mei Ling as she clutches her gleaming crystal ball.

We sprint through the narrow streets, rounding a corner in time to see three people strolling along it. There's a sudden roar, and an Akuma leaps out from the rooftops.

"I got it!" I rear back and slice another tendril through the creature's chest, tearing it apart in a single strike. "That power is sure going to come in handy,"

"Mei Ling, are you alright?"

I turn to see the three villagers huddled around the young girl, and a wave of fatigue suddenly washes over to her.

"What's wrong?" Lenalee inquires, rushing over to her.

The girl smiles tiredly. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Lenalee returns her smile. "Why don't we go get some rest?"

The young girl nods, her brave face falling slightly as Lenalee takes her hand and leads her back towards her house.

Wordlessly, I follow.

* * *

Lenalee gets Mei Ling settled in a chair on the back porch and then goes inside to get her a cold drink.

I sit beside her, the crystal ball resting on a table between us.

"Feeling better?"

Mei Ling nods. "Yes. Thank you, Cas; you and Lenalee have helped me a lot."

I look at her, smiling up at me with her

I feel a sudden pang of guilt at the way I'd talked to her last night. I don't regret what I'd said, but the way I'd phrased it left much to be desired.

"Mei Ling?"

"Yes."

"How did it feel?"

The girl looks at me, tilting her head to the side in bemusement. "How did what feel?"

"Saving those people earlier, protecting them from an Akuma. It felt good, didn't it?"

Mei Ling nods. "Yes, it did. I love the people of this town. I've known everyone all my life; I have my grandfather, but I feel like they're a part of my family too."

"That's the thing about being an Exorcist," I remark, "What we do may be difficult, but in the end its rewarding in a kind of profound sort of way, you know?"

I turn to see Mei Ling looking at me in bewilderment.

"I suppose you're a little too young to understand, but listen," I lean forward in my seat. "I know I'm not exactly the most approachable person in the world, but if you ever want to talk to me, you can. Alright?" I smile reassuringly. "I'm good to bounce your problems off of. I understand what it's like to have a power you find difficult to control."

Mei Ling's eyes widen. "Really?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'm an empath, which means I can feel the emotions of other Exorcists as though they're my own. I'm connected to every piece of Innocence in the world, and thereby every person too. They're two halves of one whole after all. It can be difficult sometimes, to have all those thoughts and feelings inside your mind, not knowing where you stop and another person begins."

Mei Ling just looks at me in awe.

I sigh. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I get it, so let me know if you're ever feeling low. Okay?"

Mei Ling smiles. "Okay!"

Her smile suddenly fades when the crystal ball between us starts to glow.

"What's happening?" I exclaim as she grabs hold of it, gazing intently into its translucent depths.

"I-I can almost see something."

"What?"

"I don't know. It's not yet clear."

"Excuse me."

I jump about a mile in the air at the unfamiliar voice. Mei Ling and I turn to see a young woman standing at the gate of the courtyard.

She's young with a round face and wide red-brown eyes; her hair is mint blue and pulled back into two pigtails. Her figure is hugged by a light green dress and there's a curious little bell hanging from her throat held in place by a purple ribbon.

I raise an eyebrow.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

"Hello," Mei Ling addresses the woman.

"I'm looking for the girl who tells fortunes," the woman explains.

She looks visibly distressed.

"That's me," Mei Ling replies.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you," the woman exclaims, moving towards us a few paces. I get to my feet, and she immediately stops. "I was sent here by my master; she desperately wants to see you."

"Why?" I inquire.

The woman falters. "Well, to tell you the truth, my master's very sick." Tears form in the woman's eyes and she pauses to wipe them away, "And I just know she'll cheer up when you tell her she's going to feel better soon."

Mei Ling glances up at me as though looking for my permission.

The woman seems to take her hesitation for a refusal.

"Oh please, we travelled all this way because of your reputation. We've heard such wonderful things about you!"

Mei Ling glances at me again.

I shrug. I can't really see the harm in any of this. This woman looks and feels normal enough, but there is still something, something nagging at me, but I can't quite place what.

"Alright, I'll do it," Mei Ling finally agrees. "Where's your master?"

"We're sharing a room at the inn over near the main road," the woman replies. "You can come by later this evening, if that's alright."

"That's fine."

"I'll come too," I add.

"Oh, I don't believe that will be necessary," the woman declares, "I'm sure I can look after her."

"Perhaps I might be of some help to you also," I insist, placing a hand over my chest, "I have abilities too. I too may be able to help your master."

The woman's eyes widen slightly.  
"Well, alright then. Thank you so much, Miss. You're so kind."

With that, the woman turns and hurries out of the courtyard and off down the street.

Seconds later, Lenalee comes back outside.  
"Sorry for the wait," She hands Mei Ling her drink. "Who were you guys talking to?"

"Some girl came by asking for a fortune," I explain simply. "She wants Mei Ling to come to the inn tonight to read one for her master."

Lenalee raises an eyebrow.

"The woman said her master was sick," Mei Ling adds. "I want to go. It may be the last time I get to tell fortunes for regular people before I become an Exorcist."

Lenalee bites her lip. "Alright. I'll come too, just in case any more Akuma show up."

I cross my arms. "I suppose that's probably best."

* * *

"I think this is the place she told us about," I say, shielding my eyes as I glance up at the sign above the inn gate. Then I remember I can't read Chinese and turn back to Lenalee.

She rolls her eyes. "You have almost as bad a sense of direction as Allen. Between the two of you, you're hopeless."

I ignore her as we step through the gates into a spacious courtyard filled with well-trimmed bushes and a koi fish pound.

The woman from before is sitting beside the latter. She straightens up as we approach.

Lenalee gasps. "It's you!"

I jerk towards her in surprise. "You know this girl?"

"She's not a girl. She's an Akuma!" Lenalee asserts. "She attacked Lavi and me while we were separated from you guys in the Middle East."

"Then that Master must be," I turn back towards the woman just as a snake-like smile curls across her lips.

"Madame Lulu Bell will be so pleased when I bring her not one, but _three_ pieces of Innocence."

She then holds up a pair of silver fangs, grinning maliciously.

Lenalee thrusts her arm in front of Mei Ling. "Stay back."

The girl nods, clutching her ball tightly as she steps back several paces.

"Filthy Exorcists!" The female Akuma slices her metal fans through the air.

"Lenalee! Dodge to the right!" Mei Ling calls.

The girl obliges, swiftly avoid the attack wave.

"Hey, that was great! Thanks, Mei Ling," the girl calls.

"Watch on your right!" the girl replies as the female Akuma attack again.

Once again Lenalee dodges, kicking the attack back towards its owner with a burst of green light from her Dark Boot.

"Cas, watch out behind you!"

I swerve to avoid a swipe of the metal fan as the Akume appears behind me before turning and kicking her in the stomach.

She grunts in pain, staggering back.

"Mei Ling, don't overdo it," Lenalee calls to her.

"I'm fine. Just watch out for the next attack; it's coming from your left."

No sooner does she say this that the female Akuma swipes at her again. Once again, Lenalee easily evades.

The Akuma snarls in frustration, digging her heels into the ground as she struggles to regain her bearings.

I can't help but smirk.  
"What's the matter? Giving up?"

The Akuma growls. "Never!" Her fingers brush at the bell at her throat. "I swear on Madame Lulu Bell's bell that I will bring victory to my mistress!"

Her skin suddenly turns charcoal and her eyes are consumed in Dark Matter. I recoil somewhat at the repulsive sight as the woman's lips split to reveal a row of shark-like teeth.

She knocks her metallic fans together and there's a pulse of energy that is soon swallowed by a roar and the Akuma's true form bursts forth.

A gigantic silver dragon slithers out of its skin, snarling as it looms over us.

It spread its wings, stretching from end to end of the garden as it towers over all the nearby buildings, its long neck snaking down, so we have a better view of ten inch teeth.

"That's one big Akuma," I whisper.

The creature roars again followed by a burst of wind that erupt from the force of its massive wings. It explodes across the garden, tearing through everything in its path.

Mei Ling cries out, and I shield my eyes as the wind stings my face.

Lenalee cries out as she's knocked off her feet.

"Lenalee" I turn just as Mei Ling starts forward.

"Stay back! I mean it!" I thunder, causing the girl to freeze.

"Mei Ling, get out of here!" Lenalee calls to the frantic girl.

"Oh, she's not going anywhere!" the Akuma booms. It then flaps its wings again and then again, causing another round of debilitating wind to streak towards us.

I jump between Mei Ling and the blast, my Blood erupting from my body and forming into a shield. Heavy sounds ricochet around the courtyard, followed by the wind surging towards us and engulfing my Blood shield.

I grit my teeth, desperate to hold firm.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lenalee scramble to her feet and attempt to hurry over to us, but I then see the gleam of a silver spike.

"Legs! Watch out!" My warning comes too late as the Akuma's spiked tail snags Lenalee around the legs.

She shrieks as her feet are yanked out from under her and she's flung through the air, crashing into the koi pond.

When the water settles, I see her sit up on all fours, coughing heavily.

The Akuma leaps into the air, its massive wings sweeping over us.

I clench my teeth as I drop my shield and reform my Blood into a half dozen tentacles. I streak them towards the Akuma, but she just knocks them aside with a beat of her wings.

The force knocks me off my feet and sends me hurtling back into the far wall, my blood flailing.

As my vision clears, I see the Akuma bear down on a terrified Mei Ling.

"N-No. Get away from her!"

"Cas! Lenalee!"

I turn my head just in time to see Allen and Krory sprint into courtyard.

I jump up as they get between the Akuma and Mei Ling.

"Stay out of my way!" the Akuma thunders.

Allen activates his arm and Krory bares his fangs.

"I won't let you defeat me," the Akuma declares. "I'll take the Innocence back to Madame Lulu Bell no matter what!"

Allen's eyes widen. "Lulu Bell?"

Another blast of devastating wind is pounded towards us by the dragon Akuma's massvie wings.

We all jump to evade. I grab Mei Ling, the girl looking rather weary as I dive to avoid the blast.

Allen, meanwhile, transforms his Weapon into its gun form and fires at the Akuma.

It hits its mark; the Akuma shrieks as the bullet collides with its chest and it falls out of the air.

It crashes to the ground with a loud bang, rolling onto its side.

Krory wastes no time: leaping forward and sinking his teeth into the creature's long neck, causing it ot moan in pain.

However, it manages to regain a portion of its strength, knocking the vampire back.

He flies over my head as I set Mei Ling down and turn back towards our opponent as it staggers to its feet.

"Innocence, activate!" My Blood erupts from every inch of my body: dozens of snapping tendrils that all streak towards their single target.

The Akuma howls in agony as each one finds its mark: piercing her scaled chest repeatedly.

She beats her wings, desperate to dislodge them and eventually succeeds. I jerk as my Blood is pulled from me and I'm thrown off my feet.

Allen and Krory both give a yell as they're knocked back with me.

The Akuma beats her wings again and again as wave after wave slams into us. We finally hit the wall, pinned under the force.

I yell as the pressure crushing my chest. I can't move; I can't activate my Blood; I can barely breathe.

Allen gasps beside me, obviously having the same problem.

Beyond him, Krory chokes, face pale as black blood dribbles down his chin.

"You see!" The Akuma shrieks as she continues to slam her force into us, "For my mistress, I can muster all the strength I need to defeat you. I can do anything for her!"

Allen gasps. "Damn, she's strong."

I feel the weight upon my chest. My mind is reeling.

I can't move; I can barely think.

"Big Hammer, Little Hammer!" Lavi's yell rips through the roar of the wind. "Grow. Grow! GROW!"

The large, blunt Weapon crashes down onto the dragon Akuma's chest. It gives an animal-like scream as its knocked into the ground.

The wind instantly dies, allowing Allen, Krory and me to drop to the ground, gasping with relief.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lenalee crawling out of the pound.

"Take this!" Lavi yells, swinign his Hammer. It crushes the Akuma's chest once more, splintering the scales and spraying black blood everywhere.

Allen fires his gun: tearing through its wings. My Blood tentacles wriggle into the groves and edges of the previously afflicted injuries; the Akuma screams as I pull them apart, releasing more blood which Krory is more than happy to slurp up.

The AKuma gives one final howl of agony before her form is consumed in light and she melts back down to her human form.

The female image sways, staggers a mere step before falling to the ground, her black blood seeping from her wounds as dozens of pentacles pepper the ground.  
"Help me, mistress," she calls out weakly.

Allen starts towards her, ready to finish the job.

I suddenly feel something nearby. "Allen!"

My warning comes too late. A blurred object slices the air. Allen yells, staggering back and I smell his blood as he steps back, gripping his face.

"Allen!" I sprint over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

The same blurred object strikes the ground again and then again.

Lavi manages to pull Lenalee to safety as I whip around wildly, trying to find the source of the assault.

There's one final strike: spraying dirt and black Akuma blood in our faces.

I shield Allen as he grips his face which has a deep cut in the side of it.

When the smoke clears, I straighten up to see the female Akuma is gone.

"Where'd she go?" Lavi asks.

"Damn," Krory snarls. "She got away."

Beside, Allen grits his teeth.

"Here. Lemme see," I urge, lowering his hand to see the slash running down his right cheek. It looks like it was caused by some kind of whip.

"Easy fix," I declare before biting my finger and allowing a drop to alight across the wound.

Allen exhales as the wound closes. "Thanks, Cas."

"No problem," I wink at him. "Wouldn't want to mess up that pretty face, now would we?"

Allen flushes.

"Are you alright, Lenalee?" I turn my attention towards the others to see Lavi is helping her to her feet. She's soaking wet and shivering slightly, but appears otherwise unharmed.

"Mei Ling!" the cry goes out just as about half the village pours into the courtyard and gathers around the young girl.

I guess we made a lot of noise.

I recognize the old woman that had given us drinks yesterday as she approaches the young girl.  
"Oh, Mei Ling. We heard such awful noises. Are you alright?"

The girl nods. "I'm fine."

"You're sure you're not hurt?" Another woman inquires.

"Yes." We all move closer towards the crowd of villagers gathered around Mei Ling. She turns to Lenalee and me. "Sorry I wasn't more helpful to you guys."

"Are you kidding?" I exclaim. "You were amazing!"

"You have an amazing ability," Lenalee adds. "To be able to foresee attacks is huge. We owe you our thanks."

Mei Ling's face lights up. "You mean it?"

"Of course," I reply.

Allen steps forward. "Mei Ling's Innocence is indeed powerful. I'm sure it's being reported to the Earl."

Lavi nods in agreement. "We need to leave this village as soon as possible."

"I think that would be best," Bookman adds as he and Mei Ling's grandfather appear through the gates.

"Oh, but Mei Ling's going away party is about to begin," the old woman exclaims.

Everyone turns towards the young girl.

"Well, Mei Ling," I say. "It's your call."

"We should go," the girl declares, her face set with determination, "If we don't, the Akuma might come back and the villagers might get hurt."

Lenalee nods grimly. "You're right."

"I'll see you all again," Mei Ling adds, turning to her townspeople. "I'm going away to become an Exorcist, so I can protect you some day just like Lenalee, Cas and the others are."

A murmur of surprise and admiration sweeps through the crowd.

Mei Ling's grandfather smiles with his tired, old eyes. "Precious girl, I know you're going to be wonderful."

His granddaughter looks towards him.

"I'm happy you're taking your chosen path."

She smiles. "Thank you, grandfather." She then rushes forward to hug him. The crowd all cheers before pressing in around the two of them, all exclaiming goodbyes and well wishes.

Us Exorcists hang back, watching the display with mixed smiles.

I feel a funny twinge in my chest and shift uncomfortably, crossing my arms.

Allen leans towards me. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Just having an emotion."

Allen laughs, reaching out to take my hand. "I'm glad."

* * *

A/N: Right so there we are: double hit~ Tune in next week for the conclusion of this arc. It's going to be a doozy. Reviews, questions, whatever!


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Welcome to the conclusion of the Lulu Bell Arc! Get excited:D

* * *

From: Titan of Stone  
Q: Fuck, you make Lenalee very bitchy.  
I don't hate her. Nor do I love her. But I can see her as the type that'd sacrifice everything to protect her "world". it is quite a dilemma in 37th chapter, actually. Whether to sacrifice liberty of a person to save the mass. No, actually, it's a necessary sacrifice. No matter how you look at it, the greater good - the benefit of the "whole" - precedes the need of one. God this sucks  
And Lenalee. So bitchy I actually wanna slap her upside down once. But I understand her action, even though I will have to disagree :p  
Apologies for the many typos in previous replies. Typing with my big thumbs on a phone is hard :l

A: Yeah, sorry. I really DO NOT like Lenalee for a number of reasons, least of all because I feel like she's an exceptionally underdeveloped character with weak personality traits (if any); compared to the boys, she just falls flat. Not to mention, at really important moments, she's either crying or useless (like in the Fallen Arc and the Ark Arc) I will NEVER forgive her for abandoning Allen to try and save Suman and then face Tyki alone. She had no reason to flake like that. If it was Lavi or Krory or Kanda or anyone else, that wouldn't have happened. I hate how other characters give her a pass for being an overly emotional crying mess just because she's a girl. Girls can be tough too! Look at Miranda! She's one of my all-time favorite female anime characters. Sure, she cried a lot at the beginning, but she still swallowed her fears and anxieties and did her job, risking life and limb even before she had her powers. Next to her, Lenalee has no excuse. Woman the fuck up!  
Regardless, there are other people that have said it better, and it's mostly just unfortunate that Lenalee is one of only a few female characters and she gets the most screen time while girls like Miranda and Road who have way more interesting stories and personalities are woefully underused.  
Sorry, sorry, rant off.  
Thanks for the review, and don't worry about the typos. I have them in my writing after all *nervous laugh*

From: Oz  
Q: Ya'know, as much as I love the DGM franchise one of the main things in it that I hate is the child solders. I know that time is of the essence and all that but sending out children below the age of 18? It makes me sad really sad. I find that this part of the story is one of the first views that we see this  
But whatever! Enough about that. Good job with the chapters, especially with the scenes between Allen and Cas. I find their interactions so enjoyable to read/watch

A: Yeah, I suppose it's a consequence of the genre in making everyone kids/young teenagers. I agree, but I found it to be a very one-sided perspective, one I understand, but I decided to have Cas share a differing and no less justified opinion in order to spark a little debate. Yay! Callen scenes are also super entertaining to write. The sexual tension is simply delicious.

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: Multiple reactions:  
Leg so hot, hot hot leg, leg so hot you fry an egg~  
Oh course Lavi wouldn't sleep with Cas, he ships Callen too much, he doesn't want to get in the way of his otp. I imagine him him filing Cas's 'I'd lick ice cream off your torso' comment to Allen for later where he'd use it to write a smut Fic about them and that's part of the foreplay LOL. But yes! Cas finally realizes how aesthetically please Allen is! Poor Allen, he nearly exploded from that comment.

A: Help me! I can't breathe! I'm laughing so hard my roommate had to leave the room. Yeah, you are correct in that assumption that Lavi doesn't want to get between that, but I think it's also that Cas isn't really his type. I can totally see him doing that! Cas is a little slow on the uptake, isn't she? I suppose though, that Cas recognized Allen's beautiful soul before his beautiful face. A little blinded by it, I think. One has to wonder why Allen doesn't mentally prepare himself before he asks Cas those kinds of questions; he knows full well she's going to be 100% and unapologetically honest in her responses.  
"(It's probably not going to be answered but,)" Of course it's going to be answered! Just look below;)

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: nice chapter! good job out showing Lenalee's more darker side in a very tasteful way, and have Cas basically give her a verbal bitch slap to the face.

A: I'm so glad you think so. I was worried people might get the wrong idea.

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: ahh~ Cas' lovely legs~ how I wouldn't mind having them wrapped around my head (I'm sure Allen wouldn't mind either). unlike Cas, though, I'd lick chocolate off of Allen cause hot dayum son... Though I 100% want to see Lavi wearing a ball had and chained up, just to Cas can sit on him before presenting him to Lenalee (as a way to make up).

A: Damn, that was a steamy review. Well, I don't suppose Cas would be picky. I hear chocolate works better for that sort of thing, but whatever. And Lavi can have a little bow tied around his neck or something! I feel like Cas would make a good dominatrix to be honest. I'm glad you enjoyed.

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS:

Cas: Are we seriously doing this again?

Me: Of course!

Allen: I'm actually kind of excited for this.

Cas: *grumbles*

Me: Alright! Once again, questions from TitanOfStone: "Sooo Cassandra-sama, these ain't exactly questions, but hey, I guess I can just talk to you directly, right? You have serious wording issues. You could just say those thing a LITTLEEEEEEeeeeee better. :p"

Cas: Are you honestly that surprised? I don't understand complicated emotions and situations because I myself don't really experience them. When I do, it makes me erratic and lash out, so I often try to suppress it as much as possible, especially in dangerous situations. You need to keep a cool head.

Allen: You do need to work on the way you talk to people though.

Cas: Bite me.

Allen: See? Case in point!

Me: Anyways, "With all your adventures on the bed, I really do hope you have some experiences with venereal diseases. Seriously, girl, those exchanges with Allen and Lavi reminds me of - nah, I'm not saying anything more. Do you get Venereal Diseases, though, seriously. :p"

Cas: What do I remind them of?

Me: I don't know; they don't say.

Allen: A venereal disease is another way of saying STD right?

Me: Yeah.

Allen: Gross.

Cas: I'll admit I've had one or two; I mean, they don't last very long. My Blood just heals them like everything else.

Allen: That's gross.

Cas: Shut up.

Me: And last one from this person!

Cas: Thank God.

Me: "C-A-S-S-A-N-D-R-A. Thank you for making Allen blush harder. And... JUST KISS HIM ALREADY!"

Cas: Not happening!

Me: Oh, hey! This one's actually for the both of you.

Allen: Really?

Cas: Yep "And to both Cas and Allen-chan: Are you a Uke, Allen? What do you think about this, Cas? He's DEFINITELY a Uke, right? *laughs*"

Allen: A what? I don't understand. What's a 'uke'? Cas, why are you laughing?

Cas: Help me! I can't breathe!

Allen: What? What's so funny? What's a uke?!

Me: *whispers in his ear*

Allen: Ah! I-um-I don't know how to-how to answer this question.

Cas: Don't worry, I will: yes, he definitely is.

Allen: Cas!

Me: Yeah, he is.

Allen: You guys are mean!

Cas: Oh, come on, Allen; you wouldn't mind having me on top of you, now would you?

Allen: Cas, stop it!

Me: Alright, you two: get a room. Well, it seems there aren't any more questions for Cas, but there's one more for Allen.

Allen: Me?

Cas: Well, in that case, I'm leaving.

Allen: Cas, wait!

Me: Oh, she's gone.

Allen: So, um, what's the question?

Me: Well, it's from xXChaoticOrderXx and it reads: "Hey Allen, what were you thinking when Cas said she'd lick ice cream off your abs? We Callen Shippers need to know."

Allen: *makes a strangled kind of sound*

Me: Are you okay?

Allen: Yes! Um…I suppose the polite answer would be that I was really, really embarrassed about it. But…

Me: But?

Allen: To be honest, I had to stop myself from going into the kitchen, getting a tub of vanilla, and telling her to 'go for it'.

Me: Holy shit.

Allen: What? I think I'd enjoy something like that.

Me: Fair enough. Well, there you have it, everyone. Thanks again for the questions and reviews. Feel free to send more!

Allen: Yeah, don't be shy. I think, deep down, Cas likes answering your questions.

Me: On with the story!

* * *

Chapter 39: Wholehearted Feelings

* * *

It feels so good to be back in pants.

Bookman really is a life safer washing the rest of my clothes, so I could get out of that stupid dress.

I suspend my hand gingerly before my eyes as I apply mascara, scrutinizing my reflection in Mei Ling's bathroom.

"Why are you watching me put on makeup?" I inquire, glancing at Allen, who's sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

"I find it fascinating."

His remark makes me pause.

Am I _blushing_?

Suddenly annoyed, I cap my mascara and shove it back into my makeup pouch, stuffing the pouch into one of my virtually bottomless pockets.

"Come on, let's go," I add to Allen, turning towards the door.

"What's going on between you and Lenalee?" Allen's question makes me pause.

"What do you mean?"

I turn back around to see he's glaring at me pointedly, crossing his arms. "Don't insult my intelligence. Ever since that incident at the lake, you two have been walking on nails around each other, taking digs at one another at every chance you can get."

"We had a disagreement," I admit. "About Mei Ling. Lenalee told her to run away from her Innocence when it was raging out of control like that. Which was phenomenally stupid because we both knew that Mei Ling was the only one that could stop her Innocence."

Allen raises an eyebrow. "You do understand where she's coming from though?"

"I guess," I shrug. "I get that Mei Ling's a kid, but so are _we_ , in the grand scheme of things. And it sucks, I suppose, but Mei Ling would have experienced pain no matter what path she chose in life. I've felt pain before I became an Exorcist, and I did after. We have an obligation, it may not be easy, but in the end, isn't what we manage to salvage make it all worth it? A destroyer who saves, right?"

Allen sighs. "You should still say you're sorry."

"Why would I apologize for something I'm not sorry for?"

"Perhaps for the sake of harmony between the group?" Allen offers. "Lenalee told me that she's willing to make peace."

I'm suddenly angry. "Oh, so you were a having a little chat about me behind my back?"

Allen's eyes widen. "Cas-"

"Forget it," I cut him off, turning from him and throwing open the door. "Let's go."

Wordlessly, Allen follows me.

* * *

We rent a carriage that will take us to the Asia Branch of the Black Order. With everything that's happened, we all know we can't stay in the village any longer and almost definitely endanger its citizens with further Akuma attacks.

So, we're going to meet the Finder escort halfway.

Allen drives, spurning the horses faster and faster as we race along the dirt road. Lavi sits beside him while Lenalee, Krory, Bookman and I crowd inside with Mei Ling and her crystal ball.

Everyone is set very on edge; the pounding of the wheels matches the pounding of my Blood and everyone else's hearts.

Lenalee has one arm around Mei Ling as the girl sits with both hands clasped tightly around the crystal ball in her lap.

Bookman and Krory have their eyes out each of the windows while I sit with my arms cross and my eyes closed, concentrating. A single spark of heat in my body will alert me of Lulu Bell's presence, most likely with a whole

The tension in the air is so potent, it could be cut with a knife, and the wheels keep turning.

There it is: a flicker of heat.

My eyes snap open just as Allen yells: "Akuma are right on top of us."

"Where?" I hear Lavi yell.

The carriage compartment is suddenly filled with pale light as Mei Ling's Innocence activates.  
"Below us!"

Seconds later, the carriage is knocked violently to the left, throwing us all into the walls as it nearly tips over. Allen manages to regain control, gripping the reins with all his might as the horses scream.

Dark shapes swarm all around us as the carriage slams to a halt. Outside, I hear the familiar sounds of Allen's gun firing mixed with the blunt impacts of Lavi's Hammer.

One. Two.

"Three." A Blood tentacle shoots across the inside of the carriage, striking the masked face of the third Akuma as it peered through the narrow window.

The creature erupts into smoke that the carriage pushes through as we start moving again before it can even disperse.

"Good work," Krory commends, "You saved us, Mei Ling."

"How do you feel?" Lenalee adds worriedly.

Mei Ling looks at her, smiling slightly. "I'm fine."

I can't really say I buy that remark; one look at Bookman tells me he feels the same.

I feel the burning sensation again. I jump up, planting my feet on the rickety floor as I brace myself against the tree line.

 _Where are you, Lulu Bell?_

"We better get out of here," I hear Lavi say to Allen.

He cracks the reins, but seconds later a shape moves over our heads.  
"Above us!"

"Look out! There's more than one!" Mei Ling yells just as Lavi jumps to his feet.

His Hammer grows just as the shape breaks apart, scattering a half dozen Akuma

Lavi knocks his Wepaon through them, shattering them one by one like land mines.

There's a rumble through the air and the carriage is knocked about. I grip the sides of the door before kicking it open and swinging myself onto the side, gripping the edges as I slide along the face of the carriage towards the driver's seat.  
"Allen! Lavi!"

"On your right!" Mei Ling calls before either can respond.

Lavi hurls his Hammer through a lingering Akuma.

I spit its remains out of my face as we streak past.

A small black shape suddenly flits onto the road.

"It's Lulu Bell," Allen cries as he jerks the reins, swerving to avoid.

I place an arm on Lavi's elbow as he stands up, Hammer ready.  
"No. This bitch is mine."

I barely give him time to react before I leap from the side of the carriage.

"Cas!" I hear Allen yell as I coat my arms in Blood and leap towards the black cat.

It's steely eyes narrow only a fraction of an amount before I bring my hand down where it's standing.

It stops before making impact, and I jerk under the inertia.

My eyes widen as I process what had just happened to see Allen's face smirking at me, instantly piecing together that Lulu Bell had transformed.

I grit my teeth, "That's not going to work this time."

I then swipe at her with my free hand; she deflects it with an imitation of Allen's, knocking me back towards the carriage as it flies past us.

Lulu Bell turns to follow, but I snag her by the hood and throw her behind me. I see a flash as she morphs Allen's arm to its gun form.

I turn around, but am not fast enough as I'm suddenly struck in the chest and sent flying off my feet.

I'm in midair for a split second before I crash into the back of the carriage. I feel the wood splinter behind me, and am momentarily blinded by the impact.

My vision clears in time to see Lulu Bell, still in Allen's form, leap over my head and onto the roof of the carriage.

My Blood erupts from my body as I pry myself free and jump after her. I alight on the roof just as she's about to strike through the roof of the carriage. A snarl escapes my lips as shoot a tentacle in her direction.

She leaps backwards to avoid, stepping back towards the front of the wagon.

Lavi whirls around.  
"What the-"

BAM!

I strike Lulu Bell in the chest, knocking her over the side as Allen jerks the shrieking horses, trying to quell their panic and keep us straight on the road.

A gasp catches in my throat as Lulu Bell snags the edge of my cloak whipping around us, a smirk slithers across her lips as she pulls me down with her.

We hit the dirt road with a crunch, tangling together as I first a handful of her Lulu Bell's now white hair and tug. She claws at my skin and clothing, hiss like a cat.

We roll around, flipping in ever changing dominance before Lulu Bell finally knees me in the stomach. I gasp, buckling as the air is ripped from me.

Lulu Bell slips out from under me and sprints after the carriage as it breaks the line of the forest and moves out onto a stone bridge.

I roll onto my knees and shoot out another Blood whip, curling it around her waist and throwing her into the side of the bridge.

"There are Akuma in the water!" I hear Mei Ling shriek.

I leap to my feet just as the water surrounding the bridge breaks and a pack of Akuma breach the surface, swarming the carriage.

Lulu Bell regains her bearings as Lavi and Allen beat back the assault, Krory jumping from the carriage to help them after a moment.

The Akuma shriek as his fangs sink into their necks.

Lulu Bell keeps moving. I sprint forward onto the bridge and knock her back.

She barely evades, flipping backwards onto the stone edge as the Akuma swoop over our heads. I'm momentarily blinded as one crashes down in front of me, breaking apart on impact.

I leap through the smoke, Blood ready, only for Emma to catching the whip and throw me to the side.

I stagger, barely able to maintain my balance on the stone wall. I feel warm fluid dripping from the cut on my cheek.

Lulu Bell turns to look at me: her eyes, Emma's eyes, impassive, goading.

I clench my jaw in frustration. "Stop it!"

Lulu Bell rushes forward, still in Emma's form as her arm morphs into a silky, white whip and strikes me.

I recoil, jerking my head as I stagger back a few paces. Something warm and wet trickles down the side of my face.

Then I hear Mei Ling scream: "There's an Akuma right under us!"

I barely register her words before the bridge collapses around us. The ground is jerked beneath, tumbling below us as the world almost seems to tilt, leaving me suspended.

A great roar and a shower of water followed by the thunderous crashes of grey stone raining down everywhere mixing with the sounds of splintering wood.

All I can see is water and stone, but I hear the crashes, the crunching sounds as the carriage is ripped apart.

Lenalee screams. Lavi gives a yell.

I'm suspended, a gasp playing on my lips.

Then I fall.

I start to flip downwards, a scream rising in my chest but it dies in my throat as I'm suddenly snagged at the ankle by something long, thick and slimy. A second appendage coils around my ankle and I'm abruptly yanked downwards.

Cold water crashes around me, swallowing my cries as I'm submerged, pulled back to the surface only to crash back down again.

Everything is a torrent of freezing liquid and bubbles.

My eyes and nose burn; I can't see.

My scream is swallowed by the waters as I'm ripped from them and thrown into the air. I try to harness my Blood, but my mind is as flooded as my lungs.

I wretch which turns into a scream of pain as the slimy tentacles snag my body again, four coiling around my ankles and wrists and a fifth wrapping around my waist and chest.

I'm flipped upside down so I'm looking down at the water just as it breaks to reveal the painted mask of an Akuma and a pair of gigantic bugged-out eyes incased in

I gasp as the tentacles tighten their hold, feeling my lungs burning within my chest. My Blood pounds.

"Cas!" My eyes flick to the side to see Mei Ling flailing within another of the Akuma's prehensile appendages, clutching her crystal ball like a life line.

"M-Mei Ling," I manage to choke out.

"N-No! No!" the girl screams, clutching her Innocence like a life line, "I won't let go. I won't!"

"We'll take all of your Innocence in the end," I look down to see Lulu Bell has taken Tyki's form.

I smile bitterly. "Nice try," I spat, although my words, "Tyki's better looking than that." My words end in a gag as the octopus Akuma tightens its hold.

Lulu Bell's lips curl into the barest of smirks. "Your Innocence is in your Blood. I guess we'll just have to keep squeezing until every last drop comes out."

The coils tighten still further; fire erupts throughout my entire body as they start to dig into my skin. I scream blindly as I feel hot blood begin to dribble from my lips and eyes.

"Cas!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy Lenalee and Allen running along the bank towards us.

Krory, Lavi and Bookman are nowhere in sight, but the faint sounds of explosions that reach my ears from the other side of the collapsed bridge tell me that a cavalry isn't coming any time soon.

Mei Ling shrieks as the Akuma continues to try and pry her Innocence from her.

"Mei Ling! Hold on," Lenalee's Innocence glows as it activates.

Lulu Bell's silky whip slices through the air; Lenalee gives a cry as she's knocked back, nearly losing her footing in the air.

I feel the coils around me tighten once more, snapping one of my wrists. My body convulses, and I throw up violently, spewing Blood everywhere.

"Let her go!" Allen's demand is coupled with the sound of his gun firing. Orange bullets streak past me, striking the tentacles holding me down.

The fall away, and my body exhales in relief as I tumble down into free fall. Flipping over and over, seeing the sky then the water and the Akuma gurgling below me.

It's polished, white mask gaping up at me.

My mind flares as an idea explodes within it. I clench my fists, ignoring the burning in my right wrist as my body suddenly erupts, a yelling ripping through my chest as my Blood explodes from every inch of my body, tendril after tendril strikes the swirling tentacles writhing around us.

The Akuma gives a great shriek that collapses into a gasp and then silence as bring my unbroken hand, coated in sharpened Blood down right through the eye of its mask.

It splinters like porcelain as the great creature dies.

I stagger, struggling to stand as my Blood goes taut, holding me up from its embedment in the Akuma's slowly disintegrating corpse.

"Cas!" Allen's yell is cut short as a silky whip strikes past my eye and knocks him backwards into a tree.

I hear a crunch that makes my Blood roar with panic.

"Lenalee!" Mei Ling's cry as the Akuma's mangled tentacles loosen its hold and she slips down towards the rushing waters, churning with black blood.

The older girl catches her, barely closing her to her chest before Lulu Bell strikes again, sending them both hurtling into the ground at the water's edge.

Mei Ling's crystal ball slips from her grasp upon impact, rolling away a few inches to nestle in a bed of grass. The young girl slowly hoists herself on all fours and crawls over to Lenalee, who doesn't get up.

I'm about to go to them, but find myself unable to move just seconds before Lulu Bell, still in Tyki's form, closes her fist around my throat.

I choke as the air is snatched from me once more, denied this purchase, my Blood flails.

She glares down at me as we stand in the center of the Akuma's carcass as it sags in the rushing water around us.

I manage the barest of smiles. "I have a tentacle or two," I gasp as Blood dribbles down my chin.

Lulu Bell's eyes narrow. Her hand goes towards my chest, whip coiling as it prepares to strike.

"Mistress Lulu Bell!"

We both look up to see the female dragon Akuma that had attacked us before flapping towards us in a crooked pattern, heavily weighed down by gashes, burns, and a torn wing.

Instantly, Lulu Bell reverts to her true form: slim, gorgeous woman in a well-tailored suit with sleek black hair to match her umber skin. Her grip remains on my throat, however, never wavering.

She turns her cold, gold eyes towards the dragon Akuma hovering above us.  
"I thought I told you to remain behind," she snaps at her charge, making the monstrous Akuma pause mid-flight. "You are injured and in no condition for combat."

"But I had to help you, Mistress," the Akuma insists, "The Earl gave me to you, after all. It is my duty to serve."

Lulu Bell eyes her Akuma underling, her expression unreadable. Her gaze then flits back to me, still gripped by the neck.

"Very well," Lulu Bell's hand leaves me so suddenly, I fall forwards and start coughing. I feel the ground sinking beneath me as the octopus Akuma continues to disintegrate around, sinking deeper into the river as its carried further and further from the crumbling bridge by its current.

I glance up as Lulu Bell gestures to the dragon Akuma. My hands curl into fists and I start to rise by a set of sleek, metallic claws slamming down against my body.

I'm slammed face first into the Akuma's rotting hide, feeling a cacophony of crunches and a hot jelly spreading under my skin as my insides become mush.

I'm surprised my spine isn't snapped in half.

I groan, my Blood distressed and burning; my vision is blurred at the edges as I slowly lift my head to look up at Lulu Bell standing over me.

She smirks. "You thought you could defeat me." At her words, her underling's claws tighten around my torso, virtually liquefying my insides.

I scream, panic coursing through me, as hot as the pain.

I can't move. I can't even speak.

"You thought wrong," Lulu Bell continues as her Akuma suddenly lifts me off the ground, hovering in its awkward flight above the water as the last of the octopus Akuma slips below the surface.

Lulu Bell lightly hops off the lingering remnants, treading neatly through the ankle deep water rushing around her as though it were nothing of a hindrance.

She casts a glance back at me, hanging immobilized and helpless in the Akuma's talons.

"I'm going to kill you," she declares simply, "But not before I make you suffer."

She then turns from me and steps up onto the bank, leaving me hovering over the water within the Akuma's grasp.

I briefly glimpse Mei Ling crouched in the shadows of the trees, not daring to move and retrieve her crystal ball barely a yard from her for fear of giving away her postion.

Lulu Bell calmly steps across the grass. My heart drops into my stomach as she moves towards Allen, unconscious and Weaponless against a tree.

My eyes widen and a scream dies in my Blood-clogged throat.

No…No! NO! Stop it! Stay away from him!

You wretched, Noah! God, please! No! I'll do anything! NO! NO! NO!

I thrashing around inside, screaming and beating against the confines of my own useless skin.

Helpless as Lulu Bell kicks Allen in the stomach, knocking him onto his back. He gasps, his head falling to the side.

Lulu Bell looks up at me, her expression like ice before she drives her heel into Allen's chest.

He convulses, blood spewing from his lips as his coat runs red under Lulu Bell's shoe. She lifts it up before bringing it down again in the same spot.

I hear a crack and Allen's whole body contorts as a pained shriek escapes his lips.

Up, pause, down again. Allen screams, writhe as Lulu Bell digs her heel in deeper to the wound, grinding it down into his flesh and bone as blood flows freely from the puncture.

Allen throws his head back and screams again and again with each time Lulu Bell makes contact with the wound, digging in further and further.

Allen thrashes around, immobile beyond his own pain as his head lolls and tears spill from his eyes.

Lulu Bell removes her foot and brings it back up for another strike.

"N-NO!" I yell, Blood erupting from my lips. I feel heat behind my eyes as I writhe within the female Akuma's gasp. "Please! Stop it! Please! I'm begging you. Please."

But she doesn't listen.

Down goes the foot again and Allen screams.

"STOP IT!" Everything hurt's; I'm paralyzed but screaming inside. Every sound Allen makes seems to tear right down into the depths of my soul.

Not Allen. Please, not Allen.

Lulu Bell grinds her shoe into the gushing wound and Allen cries out in agony.

"PLEASE!" the words tear through me, spilling out from the deepest parts of me as Blood and gore spills from my eyes and lips. "I'm begging you, please. Please don't kill him," I sob, "Please don't…T-Take me instead. Don't' kill him. Please, don't take him away from me."

Lulu Bell gives momentary pause, enough for Allen to go limp beneath her. She glances up at me, and her lack of reaction leaves my emotions knotted.

Just please stop.

The female Noah tilts her head to the side, seemingly scrutinizing me.  
She then morphs back into Allen, "I'm going to die eventually. You can't save me."

I look at her, frightened and enraged in such an agonizing pain that has nothing to do with the Akuma's grip on me.

Her form then changes to Emma, "Just like you couldn't save me."  
It then shifts to Tyki, "Your enemies are always going to be stronger." Finally, she takes the shape of Daisya, who's grinning at me with that same fainted smirk tainted only by Lulu Bell's cold edge, "And you're always going to be weaker."

She then returns to her true appearance as she looks down at Allen, gasping for air as his mangled chest struggles to function.

I want to be sick and scream and tear things apart.

Lulu Bell's miniscule smile widens as she eyes me. "Say goodbye to your Allen."

She raises her foot for the last strike.

No. This isn't going to happen. No. No! NO!  
FUCK NO!

My vision goes black. Then it goes red.

Then everything goes red.

The Akuma holding me gives a shriek as its whole body is torn apart by the writhing nest of crimson tentacles. I hit the water as it Bleeds red, not even noticing or caring as the water rushes around me.

I slowly stagger to my feet as my Blood leaps from the water to meet me, more and more of it propping up my mangled form.

I'm breathing heavily, my chest burns as Blood pours from me.

There's such an intense anger burning in me that I can almost taste it.

I slowly straighten up as I fix my gaze on Lulu Bell, staring back at me with barely concealed shock as her Akuma writhes above us.

A small smile of my own plays on my lips. "I wouldn't necessarily call this weak," I pause to sweep the Blood from my cheek, revealing the cut beneath it to have closed. "I can get back up; I can always get back up. Besides, I'm not alone in this fight, not anymore." I pause, my upper body jerks as I throw my head back, allowing my spine to realign its self.  
I chuckle as I lower my head back down, everything burning. "That's what makes me strong. Maybe I don't know what the future holds, but what I do know," I pause to step onto the bank is that I'm going to kick the ever-loving shit out of you."

Lulu Bell's eyes flit to the dragon Akuma, but I'm ready this time.

"I've got her, Mistress!"

My eyes flit to her, aligning my target takes barely a second before I shoot my arm out and stab a particualiarly large tentacle straight through her chest.

The Akuma shrieks before its body erupts into flames.

I look back to the Noah to see Lulu Bell's eyes widen in shock and…was that sadness?

I don't know, and I don't care.

I look down at Allen, half-conscious and gasping at her feet. My eyes harden as I point a Blood claw coated hand at her, "Get away from him, you bitch."

Before Lulu Bell can respond, Mei Ling suddenly shrieks:  
"Cas, look out!"

I turn towards her just before the still disintegrating remains of the dragon AKuma crash down onto the ground between us. The dirt explodes under the impact, the edge of the bank crumbling into the river.

I catch a glimpse of something shiny rolling towards the waters and my Blood runs cold.

"The Innocence!" Mei Ling scrambles, chasing after her ball as it drops into the river.

I turn to jump in after it before Mei Ling, but I catch Lulu Bell giving me a cold smirk as I do so.

I glance back just as she picks up Allen by the wrist and then throws him into the water just as the crystal ball is swept under the current.

"ALLEN!" the scream tears through me as I dive after both the ball and him.

The water breaks beside me as Lulu Bell jumps in as well.

I break the surface, scrambling. "Mei Ling, stay there!" I call vaguely in her direction before noticing Lulu Bell violently swimming towards the Innocence glowing faintly in the river.

I glimpse Allen and reach for him just before he's dragged under.

The water churns, the Innocence glows and Allen slips from my sight.

The current suddenly lurches, the water bending under the crystal ball's will.

I gasp, water gurgling in my mouth as I'm yanked under.

I resurface to catch a glimpse of Mei Ling running along the banks, waving her arms and shouting.

I can't hear her over the sound of the rushing water. My legs are suddenly yanked from under me all control leaves me and the current thunders around me.

I turn my head, and I realize instantly what Mei Ling was trying to warn me about: the water suddenly breaks off into a sightless oblivion tumbling down the edges of a rocky cliff.

A waterfall.

Of fucking course.

I catch a glimpse of green light rippling below the water as we continue to be pulled towards the water fall. I give a yell of frustration and shoot a Blood tentacle towards the crystal ball, coiling it around the sphere's slick surface.

My elation is short lived as Lulu Bell suddenly snags at my hair from behind, shoving me face first into the water to get a mouth and nose full of water.

I gasp and gag as I struggle to break free, finally elbowing her in the chest with my free arm. She flips over me, tumbling in the current and I break, my eyes first catching Allen drifting nearer and nearer to the water.

Another tentacle snags his wrist, the only thing I can see over the choppy waters.

Mei Ling has reached the edges of the waterfall, standing on the sleek rocks that line its edge.

My mind races, _If I could throw Allen and the Innocence onto those, then they'd be out of harm's way._

I'm prepared to do so, but my mind suddenly goes white as my oxygen is cut off at the base of my neck. I gasp as Lulu Bell's whip coils around my throat.

My Blood evaporates, releasing both Allen and the Innocence to the waterfall's wrath.

I choke before ducking under the water, digging my heels into whatever spot on the bed I can reach as I pull Lulu Bell with me, yanking her around until she's in front of me.

My fingers clasp around her whip, attempting to pry them free. I gasp as I come up for what air I can muster, lights are flashing in front of my eyes.

I see Allen and the Innocence about to go over the side.

I close my eyes; my chest is on fire.

 _Innocence, activate._

My Blood ripples and then erupts, tentacles snag Allen and the Innocence on the precipice while still more pry Lulu Bell's whip from me and send her tumbling back into the torrent, slipping below the surface.

"Mei Ling, catch!" As I scramble to remain above water, I swing my tentacles towards the girl standing anxiously on the water's edge.

She snags Allen with one hand and catches her crystal ball with the other, pulling them both up onto the rocks.

I dare to breathe a sigh of relief as I then snag a dead tree crawling out of the wet rocks on the other side of the falls, using it to pull me towards the shore.

I heave myself up onto the rocks; my whole body is aching: exhaustion clogging my veins.

I've barely made it onto semi-dry land before I turn to see if Mei Ling, Allen, and the Innocence are alright.

As soon as I do so, a white whip strikes the rocks they're standing on, shattering the edges and causing them to crumble and fall off the cliff side.

A scream dies in my throat.

Mei Ling looks down as both her Innocence and Allen fall over the side.

Without hesitation, she dives after Allen.

"Mei Ling!" I yell pointlessly as I start forward, scrambling over the sleek rocks.

My Blood reels just as a great black bird breaks through the water. I catch a glimpse of golden eyes before the creature drops down towards the falling Innocence.

I can't move; my eyes can't look away as the bird's talons close around the gleaming sphere and it shatters between them.

My vision goes white as my whole body goes numb. I collapse, into nothingness as a pained cry leaves me.

* * *

I don't remember falling over the side, the next thing I register is striking the water.

I scramble through the cold and the bubbles, my fingers clawing.

It's dark and light at the same time, sandwiched between the black mud of the bed and the rippling sunlight above me.

Over and over, I fall into the liquid abyss.

I finally get control of my own body well below the surface. My chest is aching as I whip my head about me wildly, scanning the murk.

My fingers brush something soft and familiar. I look down to see Allen slowly dropping down into the darkness below me.

I surge downward and snag him under the arms, scrambling as my legs kick wildly, trying to pull us upward. Allen slips in my grasp as I struggle to find propulsion. Ripples erupt around us, but the water provides nothing.

I almost drop him again, he feels heavier and heavier. As do my eyes, my body burns, every inch of my mind screaming: air, air, air!

A scream of frustration escapes my closed lips as I'm still pulled downward, the faint glow of the surface seems farther and farther away.

I suddenly see a glow

The Innocence?

Mei Ling…

My eyes flutter shut before snapping them open as something snags me around the collar.

I pulled through the water and air explodes around me so quickly I almost forget to breathe.

I gasp as I collapse against the damp grasp, my legs still half-hanging in the water.

Allen falls beside me, and I faintly hear a pair of heavy feet running a short distance away followed by the sound of a child coughing.

Mei Ling.

My vision clears and I see Alllen lying on his side, soaking wet and bloodied, and I realize in an instant that he isn't breathing.

I'm on my knees in an instant, panic fueling my every move.

I turn him over onto his back and press my palms into his chest, trying to be as tender as I can to avoid the wound. Repeat, over and over, the seconds drag, seeming longer and longer with each passing moment that Allen doesn't breathe.

I'm begging, praying, not even in words as my Blood is clogged with desperation. It's a second, solitary plea that transcends all spoken language or thought.

I hit thirty and drop my head over Allen's covering his nose and mouth with my own as I breathe into him twice. I'm rear back, feeling like I'm going to be sick. I turn to start compressions again but Allen suddenly jerks and then coughs, murky liquid gurgling from his mouth.

"A-Allen," my voice sounds so fragile I almost don't recognize it.

My arms around around him in an instant, pulling him up against me as I bury my face in his hair, kissing his forehad as my fingers touch his face, caressing his scar, his cheeks as his chest rises and falls unevenly against my own.

My grip tightens on him, and a sob escapes my mouth.

I then remember we're not alone.

I look up in time to see a pair of familiar black boots encasing a pair of legs as they straighten up, green pigtails bobbing.

Lenalee turns around to look at me, a thin ribbon of blood trickling down the side of her head. Mei Ling is unconscious in her arms as she stands up and turns towards

The look in her eyes confirms it: Lulu Bell has destroyed Mei Ling's Innocence.

I grip Allen tighter, the anger and terror from before still coursing through me.

I part my lips as Lenalee's eyes meet mine and a single word leaves them.  
"Thank you…"

Then I collapse.

* * *

I wake up, and for a moment I can't feel anything.

Then everything comes rushing back all at once. I flail, my body unsure of how to react as the terror from before is momentarily reborn in me.

"A-Allen!"

"Whoa! Easy, easy." A pair of long-fingered hands grasp my wrists and I look up, blinking rapidly to see Krory gazing down at me, his expression wrought with concern.

"K-Krory," my voice comes out like a whimper.

I then realize that most of my upper body is bandaged including my arms and parts of my head. Krory gingerly releases me, setting aside the damp cloth he'd most likely been dabbing the latter with.

"Oh! She's awake," I catch a glimpse of Lavi standing in the doorway before he turns and bolts down the hall. "Lenalee, she's awake!"

I stare after him in bewilderment before my eyes flit back to Krory.  
"W-What's happened?" I gasp, finding it difficult to breathe, let alone speak, "W-Where's A-Allen."

"Cas, calm down. Breathe," Krory urges, placing a hand on my shaking shoulders, "It's alright. Allen is alive. Mei Ling is too."

I shake my head vigorously, my mind reeling, trying to come back down from that horrible high.

I feel light headed.

"Cas," I glance up as Lenalee rushes into the room. "Are you alright? Can you stand?"

I take a second to assess myself.  
"Y-Yeah," I finally say before sliding off the bed and gingerly pulling myself upright, finding that most of the bandages are unnecessary by this point. "H-How long was I out?"

"Only a few hours," Lenalee explains, gesturing to me, "Come on."

I follow her out of the room and down the hall.

"You need to see to Allen," she says to me, pausing before his room. "He's-He's in a lot of pain."

Her words instantly feel me with an intense nausea. I feel faint, but slowly follow her into the room.

Allen's lying on his bed with what seems like yards of bloodied bandages wrapped around his emaciated chest. His face is drenched with sweat, his expression twisted in pain as he gasps and fists a handful of the sheets with seemingly every breath he takes.

I slowly approach the bed, Lenalee trailing after me.

Looking at him, I feel angry and scared all over again.

"Can you-Can you fix him?" Lenalee sounds as frightened as me.

I slowly nod, swallowing heavily before I raise a finger to my lips, tugging away at the bandage before sinking my teeth into the tip.

After a second, Blood springs from the bite and I quickly lean over Allen. I gently cup the back of his head with my free hand, holding him steady as I lower the Bleeding digit over his slightly parted lips.

Three drops alight in his mouth. He swallows them instantly, and his body contracts for the space of a heartbeat before a sigh escapes his lips, and the pain slowly starts to filter away from his face.

I breathe a sigh of relief, my fingers absentmindedly trailing his hair.

As I look at him, the memories of that moment come rushing back, the moment where I thought a Noah might once again take someone I care about from me before my eyes.

A wordless cry escapes my lips, and I fall to my knees as my arms encircle him, burying my face in his hair, gripping him so tightly it's like I'm never letting him go again. Never.

"I was wrong," My head snaps up in surprise to see Lenalee staring down at her feet. "You do care about him."

My expression sobers. "Of course I do." I then slowly pull away from him and get to my feet.

I cross my arms, they're shaking. "How's Mei Ling?"

"How do you think?"

I wince. I feel ugly and upset and there's so much emotion in me I feel like I'm either going to explode or collapse into a puddle.

I can't handle this. How do people deal with this?

"Where is she?" I eventually ask.

"In her room."

I nod silently before brushing past Lenalee and heading across the hall to Mei Ling's room.

I hear her crying before I've opened the door. Stepping in, I find it's shrouded in darkness. The girl is curled up on her side in her bed facing the wall.

She's sobbing bitterly; I don't even cross the threshold before I'm assaulted with such an intense sense of pain and misery that I'm nearly knocked off my feet.

It's added to the soup my own emotions have become, and it makes me want to vomit.

"Mei Ling," my voice falters somewhat as I move into the room and approach her bed.

She keeps crying, her sobs burn into me like fire.

I raise my eyes to the ceiling, "Please…Stop."

"I'm so sorry," Mei Ling whispers without turning to look at me as her shoulders continue to shake, wracked with sobs. "I wanted to be an Exorcist more than anything. I was going to work so hard! I was going to help you all."

"Mei Ling," I place a hand on her trembling shoulder as I sink to my knees beside her bed, "This isn't your fault."

She sits up and turns to look at me, her eyes are all red and puffy as tears spill down her cheeks. With a wail, she lunges forward and buries her face in my chest, crying bitterly.

I stiffen, as I always do when someone touches me, but I hesitate only momentarily before I wrap my arms around her shaking form, trailing my fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry," she continues to whisper, "I'm so sorry."

I look down at her and realize in that moment that the words that once saved me are all that can be given in this moment.

"Mei Ling," I sit back on my heels as I gently reach out and clasp her chin, tilting her face up so her eyes meet mine. "There is something that you need to understand; I have had Innocence…all my life, and yet I have only considered myself an Exorcist for about a year now. Do you know that is?"

The young girl doesn't answer me; she just looks at me with her tear-filled eyes.

"It's because Innocence isn't want makes you an Exorcist," I continue, "Innocence is what we use to destroy an Akuma, and that's part of it sure, but there's more to it than that. What makes a person an Exorcist is not one who merely destroys, but one who saves. Despite the fact that I have always used my Innocence to destroy, it is only until recently that I began to use it to save, to save lives and souls of Innocent, everyday people, like the people of your village. It was only when I became that did I truly become an Exorcist. And today, Mei Ling, when faced with the choice of saving Allen or your Innocence, you chose to save a human being's life without hesitation. In that moment," I smile slightly as I reach up and brush the lingering tears from the young girl's eyes, "In that moment, Mei Ling, you were an Exorcist."

She stares at me, sorrowful, confused and perhaps a little amazed. Those emotions are working through her eyes, and I see my words beginning to sink in.

That's reassuring.

My smile widens and I squeeze her hand.

"Cas."

I glance over my shoulder to see Lenalee standing in the doorway. She crosses the room and leans down next to me.

"I'll sit with her for a while," she offers quietly, "Until she falls asleep."

"Okay," I get to my feet as Lenalee takes my place beside Mei Ling.

"Hey, Lenalee," My fellow Exorcist jumps, whirling around to look at me in shock as it's the first time I haven't called her 'Legs'. I smile, "Thank you."

Her shock evaporates into a small, sad smile, and she nods.

With that, I turn and leave as I hear the first few notes of Lenalee singing a Chinese lullaby to Mei Ling.

I return to Allen's room to find that he isn't there. The door that leads outside is left open, and I step out into the courtyard to find him sitting under a tree beside the lily pond. The garden is hung in blue shadows from the steadily darkening sky above our heads.

In the distance, cicadas pure and lightning bugs bob in the air.

Allen is curled up at the base of the trunk with his knees against his chest and his head resting on his folded arms.

Slowly, I approach him. "Hey."

After a moment, he glances up at me. "Hi, Cas." His voice sounds small and pained.

I look at him, and can't help but sigh. "I don't suppose there's anything I can say that will convince you that it isn't your fault."

Allen shakes his head. "No. It's-It's not that. I overheard what you said to Mei Ling, and you're right. It's not our Innocence that makes us Exorcists." He falters, "We know that better than anyone."

"Then why is it still bothering you?" I ask, settling down next to him and leaning against the tree.

Allen doesn't look at me; his hands curl into fists against his legs. "It isn't my Innocence that I wish was stronger. It's _me._ What you say is true but the part of me that is most necessary for being an Exorcist, for fulfilling me promise to Mana and Narei and everyone else is, is the weakest part!" he cries before his voice breaks off.

I grip his arm. "Don't say that. You should realize, Allen, that Innocence needs us as much as we need it." I insist, my grip tightening, "God acts through people and Innocence acts through us. Despite it being stronger than me, my heart does everything in its power to keep me safe and protected because it knows that it needs me to fulfill its purpose as much as I need it."

"But that's you," Allen insists, pulling his arm from my grasp. "I'm-I'm not strong like you, Cas."

"That's not true."

"It is!" Allen snaps, squeezing his eyes shut, "Since the day we've met, you've saved me countless times, you've protected and guarded me, and rarely have I been able to do the same. Because of me, you and Lenalee were almost killed and Mei Ling had to give up her Innocence. I try so hard to be strong like you, but I just can't!"

Allen's words break off into sobs as he buries his head in his hands.

I can't take all these tears.

I look at him, at his white hair almost illuminated by the flickering of the lightning bugs bleeding out of the darkness, and something strange and profound comes over me in this somber moment.

"Allen, do you know why I think you and I work so well together?" I ask as I take his hands, slowly lowering them from his face as I shift so that I'm kneeling directly in front of him.

He looks up at me before eventually shaking his head.

"It's because we complement each other in such a profound way," I explain, "You're right: I am strong. Physically: I can take a hit, come back swinging; I have thick skin and a mental armor like a reinforced battleship. I'm a good fighter, a good shield, a good soldier, but emotionally," I pause, laughing bitterly, "I'm a mess!"  
Allen looks at me, perplexed and my expression sobers.  
"As for you, Allen, you are _emotionally_ strong, spiritually even. You're passionate, sympathetic and sensitive." I drop my eyes from him, my own fingers squeezing his hands as the words pour from my mouth like I'm not even speaking them, like they're not thoughts or feelings or anything else I can understand. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, "You see the world through a lens that many people that have experienced what you have wouldn't. You hold a willingness to see the light in all things in spite of everything you've been through. That is strong, Allen. That is a strength I wish I had."

"Cas…"

I open my eyes and glance up to see Allen's looking at me with eyes full of shock and also tears.

I smile slightly as I release his hands and gently pull him against my chest.  
"Hey, there's no need to cry."

Allen fists his fingers through my shirt. "Thank you," he whispers.

I chuckle. "I meant every word."

We sit like that for a moment, listening to the cicadas and the lighting bugs and feeling the darkness growing around us.

Allen's wearing his coat with his hood up as he so often does and this annoys me because I can't feel his hair. "Why do you always wear your hood up?" I ask, leaning back so I can look down at him, pulling down the offending garment as I speak.

Allen flinches back, grasping it so I can't yank it further. "Isn't it obvious? Because of my hair."

I tilt my head to the side, smirking. "I hardly consider that to be a quality you necessarily have to hide."

"Of course it is!" Allen cries before his voice wavers. "People…People stare."

I shake my head. "People are going to find something about you to stare at no matter what you do, Allen. Trust me. The best we can do to counteract this is to simply own what we have about us that might be abnormal."

Allen averts his eyes. "I don't think I could do it like you can."

"You shouldn't have to hide it!" I insist, diving forward and pulling his hood down before he can stop me, tangling my fingers through the ebony strands that are almost glowing in the near darkness. "I mean, I love your hair, and am positive many other girls are going to too."

Allen snorts. "You're just saying that."

"I'm serious!" I exclaim, "Look: take it from someone who is a girl and has dated girls and understands what they like: a flare of exotic. There's something alluring, mysterious in silvery hair and a scar." I declare, stroking one hand along each. "It's enticing in a way." I then ruffle his hair, making Allen jerk back in surprise.

I laugh. "Believe me, some girl some day is going to love to run her fingers through this. And the scar creates the portrait of a 'bad boy'. You know? Girls are into that. Not to mention the fact that these traits are accessories to a gorgeous face, beautiful eyes, a toned body and a wonderful personality. You're the full package."

I falter when I see Allen's gawking at me. "What?"

"Did you not hear what you just said?"

I blink. "Did it sound disingenuous? I know my opinion doesn't carry a lot of weight since I find a lot of people visually pleasing, but believe me when I say this. I mean, is it really so surprising?"

Allen drops his gaze, the insecurity blatant in them despite this, which is suprising to me.  
"I'm no Kanda."

I snort. "Oh please, Kanda only appeals to a certain demographic."

"Like you?"

I'm taken off guard by this. "Well, that's for the obvious blurring of the gender binary." Allen doesn't respond to this; he just keeps looking at his feet. His posture and words suddenly fall into face, and my eyes widen in realization: "Allen, hasn't anyone ever told you before that you were attractive?"

"Master's women would always say that I was an ugly little runt."

I scoff. "Well, they were fucking your Master so that says a lot about their tastes in men. But please, trust me on this," I insist, grasping his chin and tilting it up so he's looking me in the eye. "I'm not just saying this because you're my friend: you're beautiful, Allen."

Allen's eyes widen, his lips parting in shock.

"And I don't care if that sounds emasculating," I continue, "It's the truth, and I tend to use those words interchangeably. I mean, men can be beautiful and women can be handsome. I mean," I flip my hair over my shoulder, "Case in point."

"You are good looking, Cas." Allen tells the ground.

I smirk. "Baby, you know it."

"No, I mean it." Allen looks up at me, his eyes shining, "You're stunning."

"Oh…" I'm taken off guard by his earnest. "Thank you, Allen."

He doesn't respond to me.

"Here's something," I lean forward and take his gloved hands in mine, "When I first met you, I saw someone who had a beautiful soul, that sort of thing can overwhelm everything else. It's almost kind of blinding and its infinitely more important, but it bleeds through in the end. You are gorgeous, Allen, inside and out, and I'm being one hundred percent honest here."

As I speak, I slowly reach out and peel back the glove on Allen's left hand, exposing the withered, red flesh.

Allen makes a small noise of protest, but I pay it no heed as I slip the glove all the way off and roll up his sleeve, exposing the broken, crimson flesh.

I realize as I do so, that Allen's hand is shaking which leads me to surmise that nobody's probably really touched his arm like this in a long time. I smile reassuringly as I press my lips against his wrist, feeling the warm, ruddy skin beneath my mouth.

When I look up, Allen's gaping at me. I grin as I lower his hand and place my own over it, caressing the gleaming shard of green Innocence embedded on the back. "Never let something like this detract from your belief in that.""

I look at him, awaiting a response.

"I don't know what to say."

"Just say you believe me."

Allen nods after a moment, slowly. "I-I do."

I smirk. "Good." I then take his other hand in my free one and lean slowly forward.

Allen freezes up as I gently press my lips to the pentacle burned into his forehead. A gasp escapes his lips as I grin against his skin.  
"Hey, it kind of tickles, must be the Blood under my skin reacting to the Dark Matter here."

"Cas…Please." Allen breathes.

I rear back to look at him. He reaches up, and his left hand caresses the side of my face. He leans upwards, only for his eyes to flutter closed and he collapse against my chest.

"Alright. You're tired," I declare as I catch him. "I think that's enough heart to heart for tonight. Or heart to Innocence…rather. Whatever."

With that, I scoop him up into my arms and hoist myself to my feet, turning back towards the house.

As I carry him back inside, I feel Allen press against me, his head resting on my shoulder as his arms go around my neck.  
"Cas?"

"Hmm?"

"You're my best friend."

"Of course. Always."

* * *

As night falls, we leave the village for the last time.

It's a somber moment. No one really knows what to say or how to feel.

For once, I'm not the only one.

"It's a shame," Krory whispers as we walk along the dark path towards the next town, "It really is."

"Hey at least," Lavi pauses, "At least now she can go back to her village and her family and lead a long, normal life."

I look at him before my eyes flit upwards to the full moon steadily rising above our heads.

"Yeah, that's true."

* * *

A/N: This chapter was a sttttrrruuggggleee. I'm not really sure why. Just was.  
Anyways, the Lulu Bell Arc is officially over which means we're on to…you guessed it: dun Dun DUN!  
The Fallen Arc.  
Oh boy  
With that, leave reviews, questions and whatever else on your way out:) I hope you enjoyed


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Early post!. Got things that need to happen on Tuesday, so I figured I'd get this taken care of first. You don't mind, right?

Oh boy, this chapter…People are going to _flip_!

* * *

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: Ah, my sadistic tendency hasn't receded one bit I see. I totally love seeing Cas getting physically and mentally tortured and scarred, for some strange, unbecoming reason. How quaint of me lol. This reminds me, some-fucking-how, of earlier chapters of this fic. Only that this time she bites more and talks less. I love this fic more by the letters :D  
HYPE TRAIN for fallen arc. This is going to be SO. MUCH. FUN!  
Great chaps as always, and again, I'm going to bother Cassandra until the end of time. You don't mind, right? I just like messing with anything. And Cas's response is just GOLD :D

A: Huh, I suppose it's because it brings out more of her vulnerability considering she's normally so calm and confident. I find that painful situations can sometimes bring out the best in people. Well, I can't imagine how it might remind you of earlier chapters XD Although, in this instance, Cas is taking back control of her situation. I'm so glad you're enjoying this fic!  
Hype train indeed; I've been looking forward to this for a while. These chapters are going to be as fun to write as I hope they are to read. No, of course I don't mind you bugging Cas; I'm glad you find her responses so entertaining.

From: Oz  
Q: That ending mate, that ending. The feels were real.  
It was nice to see the tension between Cas and Lenalee resolved because with the fallen arc next and all the emotional bs that that will follow, any lingering unresolved issues between the two would only make the next arc only that much harder for our favorite protagonists. So thanks for fixing that! :)  
Do you know what I' really looking forward to? Cas and Cross. I know that the Ark arc(Heh) is pretty far off but I really can't wait to see how Cas will interact with Cross. Will they get along? Or will they try to kill each other? I don't know, but knowing those too it will at least prove to be highly entertaining

A: The feels were real indeed, even for me, and I wrote it! I'm glad you think so; Cas was being a bit bullheaded there, which left Lenalee being the bigger person but it all worked out in the end. I'm glad you're looking forward to things! Cas meeting Cross is a while yet, but I'm excited for it too. Well, considering how she's now promised two people she'd punch him in the face, it'll certainly be an interesting exchange XD I'm glad you've enjoyed;)

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but some of your paragraphs look like they've been cut off in the last couple of chapters. which is weird. anyways~ I aim to please (in more ways than one -wiggles eyebrows-), hence the steamy review. I honestly think Allen would die if Cas dresses up as a dominatrix (like, Miranda's uniform looks like a nice dom outfit, and Cas would totally rock the leather cat suit). Callen is the ship that primarily used foodplay when it comes to being naughty do agree with you on Lenalee's character, though I do like her a tiny bit, I still like Road and Miranda a lot more. mainly Miranda because she's super relatable for me, personally, because of depression and low self-esteem. Miranda is like that Aunt that tries to please and put everyone first before herself, only for everyone to shower her with twice that much love. if given a chance to do a fan-dubbing of DGM, I'd totally do Miranda cause I love her so much (and I may or may not ship her with Noise because of that zombie arc and he blushed when she but him, like nope, not at all). anyways, I'm rambling.

A: Right, that's a consequence of me being scatter brained. I occasionally write strips of scenes out of order but then I get ahead of myself and forget to go back and fill in the gaps. Whoops. I'll try to be better about that in the future, and I have gone back and fixed them. Allen would definitely freak out, and Cas WOULD rock a leather cat suit (I always did like that uniform; a cosplay is definitely happening eventually, but to be honest I want to dress up as like the entire cast of this show. I love everyone's designs). Of course, Cas and Allen would be into foodplay; they both love food!  
I'm glad my feelings on Lenalee were conveyed well enough; I understand it's an unpopular opinion and a lot of people do like her, but I just…ugh. I LOVE Miranda, I relate to her in for the same reasons you do and I greatly admire her resilience. I'm kind of torn there, on the one hand I do like her with Marie and feel like it's probably canon, but on the other, kind of ship her with Krory. How adorable would that be?  
I don't mind the rambling in the slightest. Glad you liked the chapter!

From: Bitch Ate My Cupcake  
Q: OMG! I loved this chapter! I love this whole story! I have spent the last two/three days reading this nonstop. It is amazing! Cas is well rounded and fits in the story so well. Most OCs are just stuck on to the plot but yours just interlocks with it! And the Callen moments are so sweet and wonderful. I keep freaking my family out with my squeals of joy at all the Callen Fluff! They fit so perfectly together! I wonder how many D. Gray Man characters ship them! We all know Lavi does! But for real, your writing is flowing and intriguing. It is one of the best Fanfics I've read and that is saying something due to the hundreds I have seen. I truly cannot wait for more! Also since the beginning I guessed *CENSORED* might just be her dad. And the more and more I read just keeps confirming it. When are you going to reveal the identity of him! I truly love this story. . . Please keep updating this fanfic gold!

A: Slow clap for reading all 39 chapters in two/three days! That's unbelievable! Thanks so much for taking the time to do that with my fic; it means so, so much to me. I'm so happy you enjoy Cas and Callen that much! Well, yes, Lavi does, I think Krory does, Lenalee, maybe on the fence…but yeah, a lot of people can see that they're perfect for each other:) Oh, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. That means so much to me! Wow! I'm impressed that you figured it out before I even began dropping hints, although the similarities are quite keen, so I suppose it makes sense. That all will be cleared up in the near future;) Thanks again. 'Fanfic gold'! I'm so flattered:D

From: animexxfreakxx  
Q: Allen Walker and Cassandra Williams, if the two of you don't confess to each other before a certain amount of chapters, imma reach through this computer and shove your faces together and make you kiss myself! Lmao but I love you guys~!

A: Well, they did kind of kiss in the last chapter when Cas had to give him mouth to mouth when he wasn't breathing *nervous laugh* They love you too:D

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS:

Allen: Apparently this TitanOfStone person has more things to ask you.

Cas: Oh, what is it now?

Me: She writes: "You hear me, Cassandra? I'm going to bother the shit out of your ass until the end of the fucking time. If I die I will still haunt you :D I know you're THRILLED by this right? WAHAHAHAHHAHA *evil laughters*

Cas: What is wrong with this person?

Allen: Do they have a question?

Me: Yep. Here it is: "This is very random, but do you play board game, like chess? I find it somehow RELAXING, of all things. And making your adversaries pulling at their hairs when they're out of move is appealing. Would like to play against you sometimes if I could but... Well. You know."

Cas: No. I haven't really played chess before.

Allen: I don't think Cas would have the patience for it.

Cas: Hey!

Allen: But I get what you're saying. I find a certain kind of catharsis when I beat people in card games.

Cas: You're weird.

Me: Here's another one: "Do you have a favorite piece of music? I personally love Apassionata, 3rd movement by Beethoven. :)"

Cas: Um, I like Beethoven too, I guess. My grandmother used to put him on in her living room all the time when I was little.

Me: Great! Now, one last comment: "Cas, please bind Allen up and lick the ice-cream off him like you said you would. WE ARE WAITING. And Allen, please do submit willingly :D"

Cas: I never said I was going to do that! That would probably traumatize Allen!

Allen: Well, I don't know about that…

Me: On that note, why don't we get on to the next question?

Cas: These people are ridiculous.

Me: Okay, from AmericaNidiot: "I'll end this review with a question for Cas, my lovely mistress, what are your three sizes?"

Allen: Sizes?

Cas: They want to know how big my boobs are.

Allen: Oh…God.

Cas: While Allen processes that, I'll answer: my measurements are 29-26-30. I'm a literal bean pole.

Me: Okay, this one's for both of you. Have you recovered, Allen?

Allen: Shut up.

Me: "For Cas and Allen, if you were to go to Hogwarts, which house would you be sorted in (and which house do you think your friends would be sorted in?). I think Cas would make a wonderful Slytherin (we could be dorm buddies!)."

Cas: Slytherin. I'd say that's pretty on the nose.

Allen: I'd say I'm a Griffindor probably, Lenalee is too.

Cas: No, Lenalee's more like a Hufflepuff.

Allen: Yeah, maybe. Krory's probably a Hufflepuff too.

Cas: Kanda's a Slytherin.

Allen: Yeah, Kanda's a Slytherin.

Cas: And I'd say Lavi's a Ravenclaw.

Allen: I would agree.

Me: So would I, and with that, on with the story!

* * *

Chapter 40: Revelations

* * *

 _It has been a few days since we'd left Mei Ling's village._

 _According to Lenalee, her brother had received a report from some of the Asia Branch's Finders that Master Cross had been spotted on the coast, more specifically the Guangzhou area. So, that's where we're currently headed._

 _I can't help but have mixed feelings about this. We had spent most of the spring and summer trekking across Eastern Europe and now Asia in search of Cross, and I was happy that we now had a more solid lead that wasn't just Timcampy pointing vaguely East, so we might finally find Master Cross, but well, it would mean we'd_ find _Master Cross._

 _Great._

 _At the moment, we're making our way down a river that I think Lenalee said is named after a color. We're going by canoe with Krory rowing beside Lenalee and Bookman, who are resting in the stern while Cas, Lavi and I are gathered in the bow._

 _The former two are having a rather passionate disagreement on lap dances._

 _I don't exactly remember how this argument got started._

 _"_ _You don't know what you're talking about, Cassandra," the young Bookman asserts._

 _Cas scowls. "Look. The point is to get off, right? So, you hit them hard and fast and get them up and over as quickly as possible."_

 _"_ _No! You do the opposite. Slower, more sensual. You want to get your money's worth."_

 _"_ _You're already getting your money's worth."_

 _"_ _Seriously, Cassandra; have you ever even given a lap dance?"_

 _"_ _No, but I've had them given_ to _me."_

 _My stomach clenches. Before this, I'd only been half listening next to them, but that remark makes me give their conversation my full attention. I feel basely male._

 _Hearing Cas and lap dance in the same sentence instantly fills my mind with images of me straddling her, fisting my fingers through her lovely red hair as she kisses my neck before throwing me onto a bed and 'ravishing' me as Master used to say._

 _The thought of her hands expertly running down my body, her tongue lapping at the vanilla dessert coating my abs…_

 _I had not forgotten about the ice cream comment._

 _Despite the terrible context, I couldn't help but remember the feeling of her on top of me in the hotel bathroom, the juxtaposition of her hot body with the cold tile beneath my prone form. Her mouth on my neck and her hands between my legs. The pleasurable agony…_

Snap out of it, Allen! _I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head vigorously._

 _Lavi still seems to be stuck on the thought of Cas getting performances from female strippers while my mind is miles away._

 _Cas snorts. "What? The girls don't care as long as you pay and don't touch."_

 _Lavi holds up a finger. "First: that's hot. Second: I don't believe you're fully thinking about this from a man's perspective. You need to look beyond your own testosterone-induced impulses. I mean, have you ever even been with a man?"_

 _Cas crosses her arms, leaning back against the edge of the canoe. "Define 'been with'."_

 _"_ _Have you ever gone all the way with one?"_

 _"_ _Well, no-."_

 _I can't conceal my shock. My mouth falls open. Seriously? Cas had never had actual sex with a man?! I mean that did still mean she'd probably done at least_ some _things with one._

 _The thought makes me happier than I'd care to admit._

 _"_ _Ha! See? I knew it!" Lavi exclaims. "You act so confident, Cassandra, but I bet if you ever got into bed with a man, you'd be completely clueless."_

 _"_ _Bullshit," Cas shoots back. "I could rock your world, Bookman, and you know it."_

 _"_ _Do I?"_

 _"_ _Yeah. I bet I'd even top you."_

 _Lavi scoffs. "Please! You'd never top me; you'd top Allen or something."_

 _"_ _Leave me out of this!" I cry, my face filling with color as the arousal already pooling in the pit of my stomach flows even faster._

 _Cas doesn't seem to be paying any attention to me; she tilts her head to the side, sizing Lavi up. "No. I'd top you, and I'd top Kanda. Together, if you'd like."_

 _Lavi opens his mouth to immediately respond, but then falters. "You know; I actually wouldn't mind that. Yu does look like a woman if you get drunk enough."_

 _"_ _And we're done with this conversation!" Lenalee loudly chimes in from the bow of the boat._

 _Yes, please; any more of this, and I might explode._

 _I cross my legs, trying to act as casual as possible, but I think Lavi notices me do it._

 _Something moves in the bushes lining the banks of the river, providing a welcome distraction that instantly sets me on edge._

 _"_ _What is it, Allen?" Cas inquires, immediately noticing, as she always does, me stiffen and jerk my head in the direction of the disturbance._

 _"_ _Is it an Akuma?" Lavi adds._

 _I shake my head after a moment, catching no hint of any foreboding shape or the familiar image of a tormented soul peering out at us from the thickets.  
"No. It was probably a panda."_

 _Lenalee smiles, shaking her head, "Allen, do you think there are pandas everywhere just because we're in China?"_

 _"_ _Well, aren't there?'_

 _"_ _No."_

 _I flush while Lavi and Cas roar with laughter._

 _"_ _Hey guys, there's a panda on the boat!" the former suddenly cries, pointing at Bookman._

 _Silence follows as the old man turns to glare at him._

 _"_ _That joke's not really very funny the_ fifth _time you tell it, Lavi," Krory declares._

 _"_ _Useless good for nothing," Bookman grumbles._

* * *

 _By midday, we reach a city where we deposit the canoe and set about gathering supplies._

 _After a hearty meal, we find ourselves lingering outside the restaurant where Krory and Bookman remain seated, sipping tea._

 _"_ _How can you just sit there drinking tea when Cross is only one town away?!" Lavi cries, jumping up and down on the spot._

 _"_ _Rushing things won't help," Bookman chides his pupil. "We've come this far and our destination is at hand; we should take the time to plan and prepare ourselves for what's to come."_

 _Lavi clenches his fists, "If you're tired, just say it!"_

 _"_ _Bookman is right, Lavi," I assert, stepping forward, "There really isn't any need to be in such a hurry."_

 _"_ _Easy for you to say, Allen," Lavi shoots back, "You don't exactly want to find Cross at all, do you?"_

 _I flinch. He's not wrong._

 _Cas, meanwhile, is amusing herself by throwing sugar cubes into the air for Timcampy to catch, laughing heartily each time the golden golem gulps down another one._

 _A smile spreads across my lips as I look at her before blinking rapidly after a moment, shaking my head.  
Was I _staring _?_

 _"_ _I suppose it would be alright to take a short break," Lenalee pipes up, "It's been a long journey; we've been on the road for nearly four months. Come on, let's take a look around, do a little window shopping."_

 _"_ _Ooh, shopping," Cas exclaims, jumping off the table's edge she'd been sitting on, Timcampy still fluttering around her head in search of more treats. "I'm down for that."_

 _Lavi exhales dramatically. "Fine."_

 _So, while Bookman and Krory finish their tea, Cas, Lavi, Lenalee and I make our way down the bustling market streets._

 _The streets are clogged full of people from all over the country and even the world, jabbering in dozens of languages; the surrounding houses are patchwork colors of different clothing and merchandise._

 _The air is full of delicious smells of food, and the wind bobs the dozens of multicolored paper lanterns hanging from the rafters._

 _"_ _This is a really busy, city, isn't it?" Cas remarks, lighting her pipe and taking a drag as Timcampy rests on her head._

 _I almost stop dead as I look at her. Wow that…that looks really familiar._

 _"_ _That's because Guangzhou is one of the trading hotspots in China," Lavi explains in answer to her observation, "It's close to the sea too, so people gather in this region from all corners of the world."_

 _"_ _You sure know a lot," Lenalee commends, "As expected of the Junior Bookman."_

 _"_ _Well, you must know a lot about it too," Cas remarks, blowing out more smoke, "Since you grow up in this area and all that."_

 _At her words, Lenalee's smile surprisingly falls, and she stops walking._

 _Lavi falters. "What is it, Lenalee?"_

 _"_ _To-To tell you the truth I don't really remember all that much of my life in China before I joined the Order," she whispers quietly, "I don't remember anything about my parents or even my brother before we were reunited in Europe. To be honest, I've considered the Order and the people in it to be my home and my family for a long time now. So, even though I was born in this country, being here now, I feel like a stranger."_

 _She looks up at us, tears pooling in her eyes._

 _I'm dumbfounded. "I had no idea…"_

 _"_ _Hey, come on, Lenalee; now's not the time to be crying."_

 _I blink, startled._

 _Since when did Cas call her_ that _?_

 _She then takes her hand, "Come on, you said we would go shopping. Let's go. What are these things over here?"_

 _Lenalee looks at her in bemusement. "Umbrellas?"_

 _"_ _Right. Let's look at the umbrellas."_

 _While Cas leads Lenalee toward a booth selling brightly colored paper umbrellas, I follow Lavi across the street so that he could look at shoes._

 _I mean, he says he looking at shoes, but I think he's just checking out the attractive store clerk._

 _I stand off to the side, watching Cas and Lenalee examining all the authentic novelties lining the Chinese town's streets._

 _The sunlight seems to shine off Cas's red hair as she pulls a yard of purple fabric off the spool, wrapping it around herself as she talks offhandedly on how it would make a great shirt._

 _I honestly can't take my eyes off her, smiling and laughing as she goads Lenalee to purchase a pink parasol she seems to like, the smoke encircling her head from her pipe like a silver wreath._

 _The longing is palpable in the air around me._

 _I want Cas. I want her to be my girlfriend._

 _And I want to be her boyfriend._

 _I want to take her on dates, and buy her flowers and chocolates and kiss her and do all those stupid mushy things Master would always do for his women._

 _When we'd left Spain, and I'd decided to wait to tell Cas my feelings, I thought that simply maintaining my friendship with her would be enough, but it isn't. If anything, these last few weeks have only made my desire to make that drastic shift even stronger. Spending all this time with her practically non-stop during our journey, despite a few bumps in the road along the way, I found that adoration of her had only increased._

 _I love her._

 _I love her without question._

 _And that's because she acts without question._

 _When things get dark and things get dangerous, Cas is the first one up and out into the fray, into the heart of peril without a second thought._

 _She's calm and pragmatic; acting in other's best interests is second nature to her. She looks into people's eyes and understands them; she fights for their souls and for their lives._

 _That bravery, that compassion, that selflessness is such a natural part of her being that even she herself didn't seem to notice it.  
She understands the world in ways I don't; she sees it for what it is: black and cruel and she pleads with those of the light, people she claims are like me, to remain as they are, to not be tainted.  
She insists she's stained as well, but there's such a light in her eyes that I could never believe that it's as deep as she seems to think.  
Her scars do run deep, however, but her humility runs deeper. She's aware of her flaws and strives to improve them. She knows she isn't perfect, but in a way, that carries her closer to it._

 _Despite everything, she has become perfection in my eyes._

 _This is what happens._

 _This is love._

 _Beside me, Lavi whistles._

 _"_ _You really are gone about her, aren't you?" he remarks, jerking me from my thoughts._

 _"_ _Huh?"_

 _Lavi chuckles, shaking his head. "It's almost painful to watch you two. Would you just hurry up and tell her already? Stop all this tiptoeing around!"_

 _I avert my eyes, my face burning.  
"It's not that easy."_

 _"_ _Like hell it isn't!"_

 _I glare at him, "What if she doesn't feel the same?"_

 _Lavi's eyes widen. "Seriously, Allen? Are you_ deaf _? Or did you forget the 'I'd sleep with you while licking frozen dessert off your torso' comment?"_

 _I choke slightly, flushing harder. "I did not, but something you need to understand about Cas is there's a difference between 'I love you' and 'I'd have sex with you'. I mean, she said she'd said the same thing to you and Lenalee in that very moment!"_

 _Lavi snorts, "Allen, do you honestly think she doesn't reciprocate your feelings in the former sense?"_

 _I gawk at him in spite of myself, "You think she does?"_

 _"_ _I_ know _she does."_

 _"_ _Oh really? And how is that?"_

 _Lavi rolls his eyes, "Oh, I dunno maybe it's the constant wanting to be with you, her intense desire to protect you and be by your side, how she compliments you every time you turn around, touching your arm, your hair. Hell, the whole time we've been here, she keeps pulling your hood down and running her fingers through it! And then there's the little things: how she flushes when you catch her off guard, and how she seems to get lost in your eyes when you're talking. I'm a Bookman, Allen; I notice these things."_

 _I glance back over at Cas, who's still engrossed in the clothing booth.  
"She says I'm her best friend."_

 _"_ _And who_ else _was a best friend?"_

 _My jaw drops as realization floods me._

 _Emma._

 _"_ _But I," I falter, my mind reeling, "I just don't know what I'd say. You know me, Lavi; I'm not good at this kind of stuff."_

 _Lavi quirks a brow. "Who's to say you have to say anything?"_

 _I blink. "Huh?"_

 _"_ _You can tell someone your feelings without necessarily opening your mouth, Allen. Don't you know the old saying 'actions speak louder then words'?" Lavi winks at me, "Next time you're alone, just lean forward and kiss her."_

 _My face flames at the very thought. I don't know if I have that kind of nerve.  
Before I can respond to the suggestion, however, Cas wanders over to us._

 _"_ _Finally convinced Lenalee to buy that stupid umbrella she likes so much. There's no need to be frugal with someone else's money. Speaking of which, what do you think?" She holds out her arms, showing off the red Chinese tunic she's wearing, "I applaud these people; it's super comfy, and silk is a nightmare to work with."_

 _I smile slightly, "It looks good."_

 _Behind me, Lavi groans dramatically._

 _I shoot him a glare while Cas looks between us in bemusement.  
"Am I missing something?"_

 _"_ _No," I quickly reply at the same time Lavi says "Yes."_

 _Cas still looks confused, but before she can respond, something large and furry suddenly leaps out of nowhere and smacks into the side of her head._

 _"_ _Ah! Holy fuck!" Cas staggers as the round, hairy mass leaps from her body and takes off down the street in a shower of yellow feathers._

 _"_ _It's got Timcampy!" Lavi cries as the large cat rounds the corner._

 _"_ _This is not good!" Cas exclaims, "We may know what town the General's in, but we need Timcampy to track him down."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry." Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lenalee abandoning her prospective purchase and take off running down the street after the cat. Cas, Lavi, and I follow close behind._

 _Lenalee pulls ahead of us, faster than all of us with the aid of her Dark Boots as we break through the crowd._

 _I can feel my heart hammering in my chest, eyes never wavering from the fur ball clutching Timcampy in its mouth as it skirts around the city wall and heads out onto a low stone bridge crossing a narrow stream._

 _As we reach its edge, the cat leaps into the air and bounds up onto the tiled walls of the city, leaping along the rafters with seemingly more speed in every step._

 _"_ _I've got it!" Lenalee calls just before her Weapon activates, and she leaps from the bridge in a flash of light and cloud of dust._

 _As it clears, my left eye darkens and I feel the familiar sting as the gears turn and I see the twisted souls writhing at us from below._

 _"_ _Allen, how many?" Cas calls, drawing up short beside me._

 _"_ _Six of them," I reply, my arm activating in its gun form. "Lavi, duck!"_

 _I turn the barrel and the young Bookman shrieks as I fire over his head.  
"Are you crazy?!"_

 _I ignore him as the blast connects with its target peeking out from the rooftops on the other bank.  
"Five more to go."_

 _"_ _Where are they?" Cas asks._

 _"_ _In the trees."_

 _She obliges instantly; her Bloody tentacles slicing through the two nestled amongst the bamboo._

 _"_ _Three, Two," I fire another round, striking a pair as they leap up from the houses behind us. "Last one!"_

 _Cas and I both turn as it breaks the water._

 _"_ _Fire Stamp!" Lavi yells, swinging his Hammer, and the demon is consumed in flames._

 _"_ _Nice job," I remark, retracting my arm._

 _Cas takes note of Lavi on the ground, gasping heavily. "What are you doing?"_

 _He rounds on me. "Are you seriously trying to kill me? You're even scarier than the Akuma!"_

 _I regard him in bewilderment. "Uh, what did I do that was so scary?"_

 _"_ _Are you kidding?! You can't just yell 'duck' and then shoot a gun over people's heads. You almost blew my brains out!"_

 _"_ _I dunno, Lavi; I think you're one of those people who can_ afford _to lose a few brain cells."_

 _"_ _You are not helping, Cassandra!"_

 _"_ _Call me that again and I'll tear out your other eye!"_

 _"_ _Look. If I hadn't shot the Akuma when I did, someone might have gotten hurt," I insist._

 _"_ _You didn't seem to care if I got hurt," Lavi snaps. "Come on! You almost shot me."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but I was really careful not to."_

 _"_ _Look out!"_

 _Our argument in interrupted with Lenalee crashing Dark Boots first into the center of the bridge, knocking all of us off our feet and spraying up more dust and pieces of crumbling stone._

 _"_ _Hey, I'm back," she announces as the smoke clears before faltering when she notices us on the ground. "What are you three doing?"_

 _Cas shrugs, "The usual. Blowing up Akuma."_

 _Lenalee's eyes widen. "They were here?"_

 _"_ _Yeah, but they weren't too much trouble," I assure her as I notice she's holding the fat cat that had snatched Timcampy. "I see you found that cat. Good job."_

 _"_ _Yeah, I'm glad I got a hold of Tim before he could be digested," Lenalee agrees as she holds the offending feline aloft, the golme's tiny golden wings are hanging from its mouth._

 _"_ _I've got this," Cas gets to her feet and holds out her hands so Lenalee can pass it to her. "Okay, fluffy, cough it up," she adds to the cat, gripping it by the tail and tipping it down face first. With an offended whine and a loud wretch, a soaking and slightly rumpled Timcampy falls from its throat and lands on the ground in a heap._

 _The cat then yowls, kicking and clawing, so Cas immediately releases it, letting it scamper off the bridge and out of sight._

 _I, meanwhile, bend down before Timcampy, gathering him in my hands as he shakes off any lingering saliva. I shake my head as I look down at him. "You need to be more careful, Tim."_

 _He twitters in response._

 _Lavi suddenly gives a surprise grunt, and I look up in time to see Bookman alight on his apprentice's back, resting on him with his hands in his sleeves like the younger man's a seat. "Well, that was an even bigger waste of time then I thought."_

 _"_ _Of all the places to sit, why my_ neck _?!" Lavi grumbles._

 _"_ _I had no idea we'd encounter so many Akuma in a place like this," Krory remarks as he approaches us._

 _"_ _I guess Allen wasn't imaging things when he saw something following us earlier," Lenalee adds._

 _"_ _So, it wasn't a panda spying on us after all," I declare._

 _Cas snorts at my remark. "The Akuma are still tailing us, but I don't sense Lulu Bell anywhere. I don't suppose they were with her."_

 _"_ _It could be the Akuma are not after us," Bookman declares, "But rather the General, considering how close we are to his location, it is a definite possibility." The older man's eyes darken, "It seems we should be hurrying after all."_

 _"_ _That's what I was saying when you were sitting around drinking tea!" Lavi yells, waving his arms in frustration._

 _Cas then glances down to see that she's still wearing the oriental Chinese tunic.  
"I just realized I never paid for this. Whoops."_

 _"_ _Cas," I chide, "Go put it back."_

 _"_ _Oh fine."_

* * *

By nightfall, we reach Guangzhou proper. Despite the later hour, the streets are still packed with people, basking in the warm golden glow of the dozens of lanterns as restaurants and pubs, with patrons pouring into the streets, serve all manner of exotic delicacies that make my mouth start to salivate from their mere aroma.

Trying to distract myself, because I haven't eaten since that afternoon, and I'm starving, I glance up at Timcampy fluttering above the heads of the crowd. He continues to point towards the coast, but no direction is otherwise indicated.

"I guess we better split up," Lavi finally says. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"I'm going with Cas!" Allen suddenly cries, jumping on my arm.

"Gah! O-Okay," I reply, gently prying him off.

Lavi looks at us, arching an eyebrow, while the others seem oblivious.

Eventually, Krory and Lavi head off in one direction while Bookman and Lenalee go in the other leaving Allen and me standing in the middle of the crowd surging around us.

"Okay, what was that all about?" I demand once we're alone.

Allen sighs. "The thing is Cas, I figured you'd be the only one to understand this; I know that my Master is somewhere in this city and we'll probably be reunited within a few hours, and I just," he pauses to take a deep breath, "I just don't think I can deal with him until I get some food in me."

"Oh, is that all?" I chuckle, "Well, I'm always down for that. Sure, let's go get something to eat."

Allen grins, reaching forward to grasp my hand. "That's why I love you."

I'm about to respond, but something in his words make me pause, that simple phrase seems to awaken something large and heavy and impossible and wonderful and terrible, and it crashes into me at that very moment.

Life is a funny thing, sometimes something so normal: as normal as two people standing on a busy street in a busy city talking about where they want to go get dinner, is actually more than it appears. In that moment, something could be happening between them, some kind of great force of the universe could finally be set into motion.

As I look at Allen, turning from me, oblivious, as he starts to move down the street, my mouth drops open as realization floods me. It isn't a new thought, a new notion at all; it feels familiar and true and like it has always been here, the pieces of it hovering just in the corner of my eye are now all coming together in this single random moment when enough of them have been created to make a whole.

Everything else seems to fall away around me, and it's just Allen.

I inhale sharply; my chest is burning and I curl my hands into fists to keep my fingers from shaking.

A beautiful boy with a scar and white hair full kindness and compassion, who makes me laugh and understands me better than anyone else alive. Who's been my rock over so many months, in battles and in moments of peace. Who simply has to look at me, to smile and I instantly feel like the whole world is falling into place, and I don't have a care in it. After those years of being alone, unsafe, cold and uncaring, I'd found a light in my darkness.

Something that I hadn't wanted to admit to myself, something that I'd carried buried within me for who knows how long, pushed down into the darkness where I can pretend it doesn't exist, breaks free into the light in a moment of terrible clarity.

I love him.

I'm _in_ love with him.

I've fallen in love with Allen Walker.

As those words reverberate in my mind, I find it harder and harder to breathe.

How? How could I have let this happen? How could I not have noticed myself falling for him before it was too late?

It wasn't a choice, it was never a choice, but oh God, how I wish I could have stopped.

It can't happen. It can _never_ happen. Not again!

"Cas? Are you alright?" Real time snaps back to me a little too quickly; I feel the rush of the movement and noise of the crowd. Feeling lightheaded, I look down to see Allen staring up at me with grey eyes full of concern.

My insides twist.

In that moment, I want to lean forward and kiss him fully on the lips and forget about everything else as I soak in every drop of this boundless and beautiful emotion.

But I don't. I can't.

With all the energy I can muster, I give him as convincing a smile as I can. "I'm fine. Sorry, just a little tired."

Allen returns my smile. "That's understandable; it's been a long journey. Come on; you'll feel better after something to eat." He reaches for my hand.

I pull back from his fingers, stuffing my own hands into my pockets as I fall into step beside him, ignoring his confused expression.  
"Yeah. You're probably right."

I'm horribly distracted as we make our way through a dining district, inwardly begging Allen to just pick a restaurant so I can sit down and try to collect myself. My mind is racing, and I'm so out of it, I almost walk into a telephone pole.

Finally, Allen wanders over to a booth with an outdoor bar that seems to be selling different kinds of wontons and dumplings.

The man behind the counter is a friendly looking fellow with a thin moustache and a blue bandana tied in his hair.  
He grins warmly as we sit down. "Hello there, what can I get you?"

"As much as this will pay for," Allen replies, slapping a generous amount of money onto the counter.

The man's eyes widen before his face breaks into a look of elation. "Coming right up!" he exclaims happily, practically skipping away from us.

"I'd like some kind of alcoholic drink also," I call to him.

"Of course!"

"Something strong," I add as I light my pipe and take a long drag.

I need to get it together.

"This is nice," I look to see Allen's resting his head on his hand as he grins at me. "Isn't it?"

My stomach clenches, and I inhale too much smoke from my pipe. I choke, gasping as ashy clouds pour from my nose like a dragon.

Allen bursts out laughing.

"Shut up," I grumble.

"Aww, don't be like that," he lightly chides, flicking my shoulder.

I try my best not to shy away from him as my stomach turns a somersault; this is horrible, it's like every little thing about him is just reinforcing what I've apparently just now realized about myself.

"Hey, there," I jump about a foot in the air at the sultry voice coupled with someone placing a hand on my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a very pretty woman with long black hair smiling sweetly at me. "You're not from around here, are you, handsome?"

"Not a dude, sweetheart," I say flatly.

The woman's eyes widen in horror as her face erupts into a furious flush before she quickly scrambles away from me.

I turn away as she hurriedly leaves to see Allen gawking at me.

I shrug apologetically. "Evidently, I should have gone a little heavier on the eyeliner."

Allen quirks a brow at me. "Funny. No offense, but I thought you'd be into those sorts of games."

"I used to be," I admit, "But I learned that one that hard way." I grimace, "Thought the bitch was going to claw my eyes out."

As the shopkeeper brings over my drink, Allen laughs.

God, he's so beautiful when he smiles.

I wince.  
"Better make it a double," I say to the man as he hands me my glass. I then take a long swig and instantly gag as I come up for air. "This stuff is weak as shit. What I'd give for some good red wine right about now."

Allen laughs again. Stop doing that!  
"Master used to say the same thing when we were in India."

"Speaking of which, we should probably-."

"Food first," Allen insists just as the restaurant owner walks over with two large platters heaped full of dozens of Chinese delicacies that make my hollow stomach growl loudly.

Allen digs in with gusto, while I remain a bit more demure, my thoughts still rather scattered, especially when Allen spills sauce on his fingers and proceeds to lick it off with his tongue.

My insides quiver.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" the restaurant owner asks.

 _A cold shower?_ I inwardly grumble

"Actually, yes," Allen pipes up. "You see, we're looking for someone; perhaps, you can help us. Show him the picture, Cas."

"Huh? Oh, right," I murmur distractedly, setting down my spoon as I fish around in my relatively bottomless pockets, eventually producing the photo given to us by the Order.

"His name is Cross Marian," I explain, "We were told he's been in this city for a few days now."

The man glances down at the picture before looking back up at me.  
"Is he a relative of yours?"

I blink. "No! Just a colleague."

The man rubs his chin thoughtfully as he returns his attention to the photo of Cross.  
"Yeah. You know, I think I have seen him before."

Allen's eye widen. "Really?'

"Yeah, I think he's the foreigner that's staying at the hotel down by the docks."

"A hotel?"

"Yeah, it's the one right on the water with the gold roof, very popular spot. You can't miss it."

"Thanks so much. C'mon, Allen," I say, jumping up, thrilled at the welcome distraction.

"Wait. Just a second!" he exclaims, stuffing the last dumpling into his mouth as I grab his arm and pull him away from the stand.

* * *

"So, the guy at the bun stand said that General Cross was staying here?" Lenalee whispers in disbelief as we all stand in th shadow of the massive hotel our serve had referred us too.

It truly is a spectacular building: built in a traditional pagoda style with purple walls and golden roofs that seem to glow in the amber light of the lanterns adorning its rafters.

"This place looks pretty fancy," Lavi remarks.

"Well, let's go in then, I guess," Allen grumbles, starting forward.

"Stop right there!" a booming voice makes him freeze. A large figure steps out of the hotel's front door, their shadow completely filling the lighted inside with the image of a large, muscular body all draped in red and gold silks with a shaved head and narrow, darkened eyes that glare down at us. "No kids allowed at this establishment."

Allen whimpers, "He's so big."

"It's got boobs; I think he's _she_ ," Lavi whispers, "She's even manlier than Cassandra."

"Shut up, Lavi!"

The large woman stalks forward, knocking her fists together, causing Lavi and Allen to shriek and jump back several inches, but they're not fast enough as the woman's large, meaty fists shoot out to snatch their collars and hoist them off the ground.

"Hey, put them down!" I start forward, hoping to pry them away before she starts beating the crap out of them, but Bookman grabs my arm, holding me back.

Meanwhile, the woman pauses when her eyes fall on the matching silver crest gleaming on Allen and Lavi's chests as they dangle in her grasp.  
"You are Exorcists," Almost immediately, she releases her hold, and the two boys drop to the ground. "We were informed of your arrival, and I was ordered to take you to my master right away." The woman smiles. "I'm pleased to be of service; both my master and myself are firm supporters of the Order."  
She then sticks out her tongue to show that she has that same silver crest tattooed on it.

I grimace. Ew.

We are then lead into the lavish building by the imposing female body guard. We follow her into a large, jade green room trimmed in gold and lit with yellow paper lanterns.

"Welcome, Exorcists." Our attention is immediately drawn to the woman sitting on the low golden couch in the center of the room. It was like a throne, and she sat upon it like a queen draped in yards of pink and purple fabrics with an elaborate pearl white headdress perched amidst her silky black hair. Her face is lean with porcelain skin accented by midnight black eyes and full lips coated in pink gloss.

She smiles sweetly as we approach.  
"I am honored to have you in my home," the woman continues, "I am Lady Anita."

"The honor is ours, I believe," I declare, smirking as I reach out to kiss her hand.

Anita's eyes widen as she looks down at me, her lips parted ever so slightly as a look of almost sadness crosses her face. A rather curious response.

"I do not know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it," Anita whispers, that sadness deepening on her beautiful face, "If you're here for General Cross, I'm afraid you're too late."

My stomach twists. _Too late? What does she mean?_

"What do you mean?" Allen voices my unspoken question.

Anita drops her eyes. "He left on a ship eight days ago, but he never reached his destination; it was attacked and sunk to the bottom of the sea. There were no survivors.."

A cold feeling settles across the entire room as Anita's words sink in.

"What...?" Lenalee sounded horrified.

"Are you certain there were no survivors?" Bookman inquires.

Anita nods her head gravely, "Another ship attempted to rescue them after receiving a distress signal, but all they found were the blackened corpses of Akuma."

"Where was the General headed in the first place?" I then inquire.

Everyone looks to me in surprise.

"The others may have died in the shipwreck, but not him."

Anita's mouth parts in shock.

"Are you sure about that, Cas?" Lenalee inquires.

"Yes, how can you be certain?" Anita adds.

I place a hand over my chest. "If Cross was dead, I would have felt it, but I didn't, which means he's alive."

Anita stares at me, her bottom lip trembles as a silky tear slips down her face. "Do you-Do you really think so?"

Allen steps forward. "Cas is right. The General must still be alive."

Anita then turns to the large, bald headed woman who's standing at attention in the corner.  
"Mahoja, prepare my ship; we leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, mistress," the other woman replies, bowing heavily.

"Anita?" Lenalee exclaims in surprise.

The woman turns back to us, raising her long, flowing sleeves. "For many years, I have supported the Black Order in any way I could, from my mother's time, up until now. If you are going to continue your search for General Cross, allow us to be your guides." She spreads her arms lavishly, "Our destination will be Japan, the city of Edo."

Well, here we go again; traveling even further east.

I work hard to suppress a sigh.

"Mahoja," Anita turns back to her servant, "Alert the crew and make sure our guests have the proper accommodations," She then adds to us, "if there is anything you need, you merely have to ask."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Lenalee replies, bowing.

Anita smiles. "We sail at dawn."

As we all turn to follow Mahoja out of the room, I catch Anita intensely staring at me as we leave.

* * *

After we get our sleeping situations figured out in the hotel, Mahoja offers to escort us out to the docks so we can get a look at the ship.

It is by no means a modest vessel, but that's about as much of an impression I can make on it due to my admittedly limited nautical knowledge. Lavi seems a lot more impressed with it.

As he and Krory sit on some unloaded crates beside the docked vessel, I wander about, Timcampy flapping around my head, chasing my pipe smoke. I then notice Allen standing off on the edge of the dock, looking out at the water.

The sea looks like black velvet in the darkness, the dark ripples only broken by the silvery glow of the full moon, which glints off Allen's hair in a far too appealing way.

Stop it!

"Hey, uh, you okay?" I call to him as I approach, trying to sound casual.

"Yeah," Allen replies as I draw up beside him. "Just thinking. It's been kind of a crazy day."

I nod in agreement, blowing out a drag as the water laps against the creaking wood beneath our boots. "Kind of frustrating, isn't it?"

Allen chuckles. "Master truly is a slippery son of a bitch."

"You've got that right," I agree. I glance at him just as he turns towards me, a smile on his lips that makes my stomach turn a flip.

"That was a nice thing you did for Anita, you know. Giving back her hope."

I'm floored as I look at him. "I guess," I eventually say, "I mean, I didn't mean to; I'm just glad I didn't say something stupid."

"I have faith in you, Cas," Allen replies, laughing again. I look at him, at the way his grey eyes seem to shine when he smiles, at the way the moonlight looks on his pale hair.

He really is far too gorgeous.

 _Goddamnit!_ My grip tightens so harshly on my pipe, I almost snap it.

Allen looks at me, startled. "Cas, are you alright?"

"Yes!" I say almost shrilly, "I'm fine. I'm very, _very_ fine."

Help me.

Flustered, I turn from him, but my left food suddenly gives out as it slips off the edge of the dock.

I give a shout, flailing my arms as I lose my balance and almost topple into the cold waters below us.

"Cas!" Allen's arm shoots out to snag me in the nick of time, pulling me back onto the dock. I fall against him, breathing heavily as he grips my arms tightly.

I close my eyes, trying to ignore how good that feels.

Fuck.

Thank God I don't have a heart to hammer inside my chest. Let's settle for blushing like a lovesick high school girl instead.

I blink, shaking my head as I try to clear the haze. Well, I suppose I technically _am_ a lovesick high school girl.

Lovesick for Allen Walker.

 _Cassandra Williams, you are a fucking_ idiot!

"You okay?" Allen inquires.

"Yep!" I reply, taking a step back, but Allen keeps hold of my arm.

I stare down at it in surprise before my eyes flit back to him.

"Cas…" Allen's expression is unreadable as he reaches out and cups his hand against the side of my face.

Whoa! Okay! _What?!_

I freeze, about to say something, but the words are caught in my throat and die almost instantly upon hearing someone shout from the other end of the docks.

"Hey! Who the hell are you kids?!"

I whirl around just as Lavi and Krory jump up from the crates they were using as seats to see a pack of rough looking men approach us.

"Those people are probably the crew of the ship," Allen surmises.

"Let's go say hi," I offer, pulling from him and hurrying back towards the ship to join Lavi and Krory.

Allen follows me while the crew approaches us. The man in the front, who I suppose is the captain, is a ruddy faced fellow with stringy brown hair and matching scruff. He sizes us up with a pair of beady little eyes.  
"Well, look at you lot. You're the Exorcists, then huh?"

I arch a brow at him. "And you are?"

"I'm Yang, the captain of this ship."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Allen Walker."

"Cas Williams."

"My name's Lavi."

"It's a pleasure; I'm Aryster Krory III."

"Anita told us that you are going to be traveling with us on our mission to Japan," Allen continues, "We want to thank you for your trouble."

" _Thank_ me?" Yang scoffs, "I'm not doing you people any favors. I'm just following orders. I'm doing this for money, not some punk like you."

Allen steps forward. "Still, this is going to be a very dangerous voyage. The person we're searching for, General Cross, was attacked by Akuma while attempting to reach the same destination as us. We want to say that we appreciate you putting your lives at risk."

Yang chuckles. "Believe me, kid; with Anita on board, what's out at sea is the least of our worries."

I raise an eyebrow. "And why is that?"

Yang smirks at me, "Lady Anita's got ways of getting people to do what she wants. You know what I mean, darling? If she wanted to set sail in the storm of the century, there wouldn't be anything any of us could do to stop her. You shouldn't waste your concern on us; we're hired to protect Anita, and that's what we're going to do." His eyes narrow, "You lot, however, are a different story. Try your best to stay out of our way."

"That won't be a problem," Allen proclaims coldly, "We're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves; without us, you wouldn't last a minute."

Yang's eyes darken. "What did you say?"

"All of us our Exorcists," Allen continues, "Which means we're trained to hunt Akuma; if we can't protect your ship, then we don't deserve our titles."

Yang barks a laugh. "You think _you_ can protect us?" He then snatches Allen by the wrist and holds it aloft. "Just look at this beansprout arm! You couldn't fight a toddler with this thing."

I grit my teeth. _Let go of him or so help me…_

Allen wrenches free, however, before I can lose my cool. "It's all I need to keep you alive," he spat.

Yang's smirk never wavers. "Oh, is that so?" He then gestures to one of his crewmembers, who grabs a couple of the crates and stacks them on top of each other to make a table.  
Yang props his elbow up on wooden box, his biceps curling as he beckons to Allen. "If you're supposed to be protecting me, then I need to see how much muscle you've got, kid."

I breathe out of my nose, "Well, this escalated quickly."

Allen sighs, "I guess I don't have a choice."

"What happens if you lose," Krory whispers nervously, "Are they going to make us their slaves once we get to sea?"

Lavi grimaces. "What? Like whipped and pushed around?"

A shiver passes through the both of them at the thought.

I ignore them, turning to Allen. "Are you really going to do this."

"I'll be fine." He winks at me.

I flush quite heavily. Thank God it's dark out.

Allen then kneels before the crates on the opposite side of Yang, gripping the fingers of his left arm around Yang's right.

The captain strains against him, gritting his teeth as he tries to push him down, but Allen doesn't waver.

"Damn, kid; you're pretty strong for a bean sprout," the man admits thickly while the crew cheers him on.

"C'mon, Allen!" Lavi yells.

"Please don't let them turn us into slaves and whip us, I have soft skin," Krory adds.

"Kick his ass, Allen!" I call.

Yang strains, sweat beading on his brow as he attempts to break Allen's hold, but he remains focused, pushing back with equal and possibly more strength. It wavers between them like a clock pendulum for a good few seconds before Yang suddenly slips and Allen catches it.

With a grunt, he slams the captain's arm down onto the wooden surface with a resounding thud.

The crew instantly falls into stunned silence.

"He beat the captain…" one of them whispers in utter shock.

"Horray! Allen did it!" Lavi exclaims.

"That was amazing," Krory commends, clapping him on the back.

I fan my face. _Whoo! Okay! is it getting hot out here or is it just me?_

Yang grits his teeth. "No fair! I want a rematch."

"How about I take on the winner?"

We all turn just as Mahoja approaches us, accompanied by Anite, Lenalee and Bookman. The former two have both changed out of their fine silks and into rougher, more seaworthy clothing.

"Um, Anita…" Lenalee looks to the Lady uncertainly as her large bodyguard takes Yang's place before Allen.

So, another match begins. Mahoja does not go down as easily as Yang, her expression remains smug as Allen strains somewhat against her, unable to break her hold. Despite this, he manages to maintain his own front.

However, it suddenly shatters as Allen stiffens in a reaction I recognize. Seconds later, the crate splinters under Allen's arm connecting with it under Mahoja's grip.

"Oh crap!" Lavi cries.

"Don't whip me!" Krory whimpers.

Allen jumps up, arm activating. "Duck!"

We all dive out of the way.

"Found you!" A frog-like Level II Akuma croons as it leaps up onto the docks and skirts around Allen's bullets.

Cries of shock rise up from the crew as the Akuma raises its webbed hands and a large horde of Level Is leap out of the waters to press in around us.

Yang staggers back. "They actually exist. Akuma!"

"Stay back," Allen urges him. "Don't worry; we won't let them get anywhere near you."

The amphibious Level II Akuma cackles. "You've come a long way, boys and girls, but this is the end of the line!"

"Never underestimate an Exorcist," Allen asserts, "We will find Master Cross!" He then fires his weapon into the horde hanging over our heads and several explode.

Lenalee kicks her Dark Boots through a dozen more.

Lavi's Hammer grows as he swipes it through the Fire Stamp and half of the Akuma explode

Krory picks off stragglers, ripping his teeth hungrily through their armored flesh.

Even Bookman gets into the fray: unleashing silken whips from his sleeves that cut through the Akuma's hides like a knife through butter.

"I've got frog-face!" I call, racing down the middle of the fight towards the Level II, who cackles and leaps to the side, dodging one of my Blood threads.

"Come and get me, girly!"

It then skirts around me and barrels over my shoulder.

"Lady Anita!" I hear Mahoja call.

I whirl around, "Hey!" I then shoot a Blood whip through the Akuma's legs as its set to pounce. It wraps around the startled woman and throws her into the air. She gasps as the Akuma attempts to adjust its assault, but I leap after it, jumping off its back as I stick one Blood spear through its head with one hand and catch Anita with the other.

The Akuma shrieks as its shattered to ashes, and I drop down amidst its remains, holding Anita against me.  
"You okay?" I ask her.

She stares up at me, her cheeks pink and her mouth slightly open.  
"Y-Yes, I am."

After a moment, I set her down. Allen and the others hurry over to us, each deactivating their Weapons just as Yang steps forward.

"Gotta say: I'm impressed. You people just saved all our lives," he says to Allen.

"Thank you, Yang."

"This trip may be dangerous, but with you on board, I don't think we have anything to worry about," he smiles as he holds out his hand to Allen.

Allen returns his smile as he shakes his hand. "I hope you're right."

* * *

After all the excitement at the docks, there was a near universal consensus that we head back to the hotel to at least get a few hours of sleep.

I soon find myself getting next to none.

And that's because the dream comes back.

The dream that I hadn't had in months, that I hadn't of in weeks.

The dream tha had brought me to Allen; meeting him in his death….

A scream catches in my mouth as I sit up, tangled in the sheets in the midst of the dark hotel room.

I clap a hand to my mouth; my whole body is shaking, racked with invisible sobs tha I can't emit.

There's a tightness in my chest that only constricts to the point of near strangulation at the images lingering in my of the blood soaked devastating, of Allen's life slipping from him amidst the crimson waters as the black moon mocks us over our heads.

If that were to happen, if Allen…like Emma…

I can't even think of it, let along process it.

I don't think I would be able to bear it.

I feel sick.

My body seems to move on its own as I throw my legs over the side of the bed and stagger across the room and out the door. I move down the hall, past the silent rows of closed doors holding all my companions until I reach Allen's room.

I slowly open the door, leaning heavily on its frame as I look into the darkness beyond. Allen is curled up on his side with the covers pulled up to his chin, breathing softly, evenly without a care in the world.

Before I can consider my actions, I slowly make my way towards the bed until I'm standing over him.

Even in the darkness surrounding us, I can still make out his beautiful features that have practically memorized, his beautiful soul seeming to cast a glowing pallour upon them, like the moonlight upon his hair.

Tentatively, I reach out and my fingers just barely carress the side of his head. He shifts almost immediately, causing me to retract my hand, my heart leaping into my throat when I hear him murmur.

"Cas…"

For a second, I think he's awoken, but he just turns onto his back and continues sleeping.

He said my name in his sleep! I feel a thrill.

Overwhelmed, I find myself bending down towards him, looking down at his soft, peaceful face, far away from everything that's happened or could happen around us.

Oh, good Lord how I love this boy.

My hand slides softly down the side of his face as I lean over him, and my lips just barely brush his own before I rear back, shaking my head as I try to pull myself together.

Our story began in blood, and it will end in it too if I do something rash.

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. _Remember what you are…You're not human._

 _You can't love. Look at what happened the last time you tried._

My feet feel heavy as I turn back towards the door. I pause on the threshold, looking back at Allen one last time before I slip out into the hall and back to my room.

I feel sick and like I'm trying to cry.

But I don't.

* * *

A/N: Oh, Lordie… Well, I hope you enjoyed this surprise early update, everyone! And I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween:)  
Lots of spooky love, tell me what you thought, leave questions, all those lovely goodies

See you all next week:D


	41. Chapter 41

A/N: So, the things that needed to happen on Tuesday no longer need to happen (shout out to my Theology professor for moving our exam!) Also, this chapter has left me wracked with anxiety, and I just need to get it up before my head explodes.  
Okay … *inhales deeply through nose* I've been dreading this chapter for a while now.

Just…please don't hate me.

* * *

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: Cas needs a hug! preferably from a half-naked Allen... don't worry, I'm scatterbrained as well... Miranda is Queen and should be treated as such (hence why I think she would make a good Gryffindor, just like Neville). Why couldn't Miranda have both? lol -bricked-

A: 'half naked Allen' Ha ha. I completely agree! As a matter of fact, the more I think about it, the more similar Miranda and Neville appear to me. Well, I don't tend to multi-ship but why not?!

From: Teresa Shade  
Q: Hello author! I am also another fellow author who was trying to create a female character to fall in love with Allen. I almost had her prophecy be the Creator of Space, but never really figured out what would happen to the reasoning of the prophecy. Mostly, i have been trying to make a d gray man in the present time. Reading this story made me think of how i realized thst a prophecy idea would be overthinking things, as i am not a thinker. Please continue writing, and never stop.

A: Hello, Teresa! Well, great minds think alike, as they say;) I wouldn't get discouraged, this sucker was a real headbanger at the beginning, not to mention constantly wanting to pull my hair out waiting for new manga chapters so I can have more material. If you continue the idea of having it in the present, let me know. I would love reading modern AU D Gray man fics! Thanks so much for the compliment :D

From: Waru Waru  
Q: Just by reading the A/N, I got nervous as hell. Upcoming fallen arc, Halloween, and shady author's note?  
NOPE  
And then Allen's fantasy came and hit me flat in the face. WELL PLAYED. I literally had to stop, close my laptop, and do a lap around my living room to calm down my flustered fangirl laughter. And then the rest of the chapter happened...  
I don't know whether I should squeal in glee or ram my head against my wall in frustration. Maybe both?

A: Aw, sorry I made you nervous, though I suppose you have every right to be given the plans I've got…Oh lord. Anyways! Yeah, Allen's fantasy is great, isn't it? I've had a lot of smut ideas for the two of them lately and that just kind of came out sideways in that little moment. Think I got a little carried away…but I'm glad you liked it;) Yes, both…do both. Cas obviously still has her reservations. After all, she hasn't told Allen everything…

From: kittyluv2000  
Q: Aaagh! It's so cute! And painful! Because I know exactly what arc is next! :'') They are FINALLY getting close to just dealing with their freaking feelings, and - you're gonna keep it from happening until after the entiiiire Fallen arc, aren't you. *dubious look* I just know it. But that's okay! Although I die a little inside every time there's feels, I love it! XD Poor Allen... X'D AWESOME chapter, as always! I ADORE this story! Thank you so much! :)

A: Yeah, the Fallen Arc is going to be a rough ride. Sorry in advance…Yes! Allen knows he loves Cas and Cas knows she loves Allen. We're almost on the same page here! "you're gonna keep it from happening until after the entiiiire Fallen arc, aren't you?" Maybe…  
I'm glad you love this story so much, and you are very, very welcome :D

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: My god this love loop! I'm twisting and gawking in my seat as I read this chapter D: poor Cas and Allen. You two are as thick as Kanda!  
Man, you make a chapter that had little to offer into this. Fan service... Fluffy... Puffy... Lovey-dovy one. Oh my god my inner fangirl spirit is here!  
Great chaps, as always. No question this time, cuz I can't think of one. Looking forward to more!

A: Love loop indeed. They really are Lol! Yeah, I try to make each chapter as relevant as I can…or I just make it fun. For instance, I tortured the shit out of everyone in the last chapter so I was like, I'm going to make this one a little lighter…kind of…Cas still has mental baggage. Fun. Well, here's more! Hope you enjoy.

From Oz:  
Q: Well, that last part was depressing. Well done with Allens pov. Poor Cas, it seems like she has some sort of PTSD concerning relationships i.e her feelings for Allen and who can blame her with what happened with Emma. Poor Allen really has his work cut out for him

A: Aww, I'm sorry; it was kind of upsetting wasn't it? Thanks! I always have fun doing Allen's pov. Well, you are right in some respects; Cas is going to elaborate somewhat on those feelings in this chapter.

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: YES SHADOW YEEEEEEESSSSS! *Fist Pumps the air* That comment in the AN I knew it couldn't be a bad freak out quite yet. BUT FREAKING FINALLY Cas admits her feelings for Allen to herself - it's about damn time. But I also could not stop fucking laughing. None of us can let the ice cream comment go. :'D

A: YES, indeed! *Fist pumps as well* I'm glad you're pleased;) I know, Cas is never going to be able to live that down until she actually does it. We'll see about that…

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS AND ALLEN:

Cas: Do we really have to do this right now? I'm not emotionally available at the moment.

Me: These are going to be fun ones; I promise.

Cas: All these people care about is my sex life! And I really don't want to talk about that right now.

Allen: I'm sure that's not true, Cas.

Me: Okay, first one from AmericaNidiot: "Cas~ you're still a sexy beanpole! Let me carry you, my darling, regardless with how awkward it would look with my short height (Allen has a good 3 inches on me)"

Cas: Okay, you can carry me, I guess. I mean, it wasn't that awkward when Allen carried me being the bean sprout that he is.

Allen: Hey!

Me: Okay, and this one is for Allen: "Allen~ what would you do if Cas actually wore a leather cat suit and tied you to a bed~? -grins mischievously-"

Cas: SEE?! I FUCKING TOLD YOU! You don't have to answer that, Allen.

Allen: Well, to tell you the truth, Cas; I think you'd look great in a leather cat suit.

Cas: *puts head in hands and screams*

Allen: Don't be like that; you'd probably make it, right? And everything you make looks amazing!

Cas: What about the whole tying you to a bed part?

Allen: Honestly, the idea kind of thrills me…Being at your complete mercy…

Cas: That's not funny, Allen.

Allen: Who said I was joking?

Me: Okay! More questions!

Cas: *groans*

Me: This one's from xXChaoticOrderXx and it reads: "And this time I have a question for Cas. Ever since the Rose Festival we know that you associate yourself and Emma (or at least just Emma) with the rose. But which flower do you associate Allen with, and why?"

Cas: *blushes* Um…Actually, I kind of think of Allen as a rose too.

Allen: Really?

Cas: Yeah, but I always thought of Emma as a red rose and you more of a white one. You know?

Allen: And why is that?

Cas: Well…*blushes harder* the rose is always associated with a light in the darkness; you know, hope and…love. And I get that from you, you know?

Allen: How very earnest of you, Cas!

Cas: Shut up.

Me: Ooh! These questions are in theme! They're from Waru Waru and they say: "1. Cas, what would you wear for Halloween? Would you get in any getup at all?"

Cas: Of course I would! I'm into costumes and all that shit. Hmmm, maybe a pole dancer?

Allen: Cas!

Cas: I was kidding! Ooh! How about Frank N Furter from _Rocky Horror Picture Show_? That would be a fun costume.

Me: Oddly fitting.

Cas: Of course it is! I am, after all, a 'sweet transvestite'. On more of a cosplay note, Tsukiyama from Tokyo Ghoul perhaps…? Yeah! And then Allen can be Kaneki, he's already got the right hair!

Me: That actually leads into the next question: "2. If you were to dress up our dear Allen in something (and he is to submit to whatever you chose), what would it be?"

Cas: Well! Thanks for triggering all my crossdressing fantasies.

Allen: Your WHAT?!

Cas: Nothing~

Me: You'd put Allen in drag?

Cas: Yes, I'd put Allen in drag.

Allen: Why?!

Cas: Because I'm into that kind of shit. I'm in drag almost all the time, and you don't seem to mind that.

Allen: Well, yes, but-

Cas: You know what's another good cosplay for you, on the subject of crossdressing? Doll from Black Butler. You could cover your eye then.

Allen: *whimpers*

Cas: Hmm, otherwise, maybe a cat? A white one. Or an angel and I could be a devil! Ooh, that would be sweet! Maybe Little Red Riding Hood and I'd be the big bad wolf! That would be fun! It's a shame Halloween hasn't been invented yet in our dimension. This is gold!

Allen: Look at what you people did!

Me: Okay, I think you've answered their question. Now, here's one more: "TRICK OR TREAT!? "

Cas: Uh… (reaches into her pocket and pulls out a candy bar) Here?

Allen: *takes the candy bar*

Cas: Allen! Give that back!

Allen: *runs off*

Cas: *chases him*

Me: Well, on that note…I suppose you'll be reading the chapter now…Go do that… I'm going to go hide under my bed…

* * *

Chapter 41: The Final Secret

* * *

 _Why the fucking hell did I have to get up at the crack dawn like everyone else just to stand around and watch Allen, Lavi, and Krory get treated like Yang's bitches?_

I sulk as I lean against the side of the ship, watching the crew load several heavy-looking crates of equipment and supplies onto the brig.

"Go on! Move your asses!" Yang barks at my comrades as they each heave a cumbersome-looking item up the ramp.  
I'd offered to help, but he'd gotten all uppity, saying that the crew couldn't have a woman doing heavy lifting in their presence, which is why Lenalee isn't helping either.

Don't these men know that chivalry is dead?

"You don't look particularly happy."

I glance up just as Anita walks over to me, her long black ponytail swaying elegantly in the light sea breeze.

"Oh, sorry; am I bringing down the mood?" I ask only half-sarcastically as I light my pipe.

Anita smiles, "No. You're anxious; it's understandable."

"I suppose this waiting around is making me kind of antsy," I admit, blowing out a drag as I turn to look at her. "I'll confess, your reaction to me telling you that Cross is still alive surprised me. Are you guys close?"

Anita averts her eyes. "To tell you the truth we…" she trails off, a blush forming on her cheeks.

"Ah." I put the pieces together, blowing out more smoke.

Anita looks back at me. "Do you know the General well?"

"Not really. I'd only met him once and that was a long time ago. He was more familiar with my grandmother and mother. He trained under the former; that's how he became an Exorcist. Sort of glad about it to be honest; don't really like being affiliated with selfish, lowlife scum like him," I falter, "No offense."

Anita just laughs. "It's alright; I get it. But you know, you actually remind me of Cross quite a bit."

I jump, surprised at the remark.

Anita smiles at my reaction. "Believe me, that is a compliment. From what I can tell of you, you seem to live your life in your own way, just as he does. You get the job done on your own time; you don't let anyone else tell you how or when to go about it. You're stubborn but practical, and you live from a different perspective. That's a refreshing outlook."

"I hadn't really thought of Cross that way," I admit.

Anita shrugs. "People are people, and people are messy. Cross has his flaws, sure, but I try not to let the vices of others overshadow their strengths in my eyes."

I glance down at my hands as I twist the red tie Allen had given me between my fingers. "I wish I could do the same. I can't even look past my own shortcomings."

Anita surprises me when she places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.  
"I'm sure one day you will."

Before I can respond, Mahoja approaches us. The early morning sun gleams off her cleanly bald head.  
"My lady, the cargo has all been loaded; we are ready to depart."

Anita nods in acknowledgement. "Very good."

While the crew ties off the last of the rigging, effectively detaching the ship from the docks, I wander over to where Allen, Krory, and Lavi have collapsed beside the door leading below deck.

Lavi groans as he falls on his ass and leans against the rough wood. "This ship sucks."

"If it helps us depart faster, shouldn't you welcome the work?" Bookman asks.

Lavi glares at him just as I approach.  
"Good work, guys. If anyone's got a splinter, I can take it out for them."

The younger Bookman turns his ferocity on me.  
"Hey! How come you didn't have to help load shit?"

"According to the crew, it's because I don't have a penis."

Lavi smirks, "You sure about that?"

I grimace. "I suppose I walked into that one."

Lenalee gives us both a telling look as she comes up behind me from where she'd been talking with Anita.  
"We very much appreciate the work you and the others have done, Lavi."

His face goes as red as his hair at her words, a witty retort for once not poised on his tongue.

I snort.

"Allen, what happened to your arm!" Lenalee's cry alarms me as she suddenly reaches forward and grasps Allen's left arm. She pulls back the sleeve to reveal that the rough red skin of the limb is beginning to crumble away in places: ruby flecks falling from his flesh right before our eyes, leaving gaping holes in their wake. The fingers tremble heavily.

My eyes widen. _How have I not noticed that?_

Lavi's eyes widen. "You're arm's crumbling."

"Why is it doing that?" Krory inquires.

"It's nothing!" Allen exclaims, pulling his arm back, "I'm not injured or anything. The Weapon's probably just tired because we've been fighting so many Akuma lately."

"I've never heard of a Weapon getting _tired_ ," Lavi remarks, his eyes shifting to me.

I blink. "What are you looking at _me_ for?"

"Well, has your heart ever done that?"

"Shut up!" I cry, horrified, as I clap a hand over his mouth, "Scream it from the crow's nest, why don't you?"

"I suppose we don't really think about it," Lenalee whispers, "But your arm, Allen; it's somewhat fragile, isn't it?"

Allen looks at her, shocked. "Lenalee…"

She bites her lip, and tears start to slip down her face.

"Allen made Lenalee cry!" Lavi exclaims.

"No, I didn't!"

I throw my hands up in dismay, "Oh for God's sake. It's no big deal. There's no point in crying over spilled milk, Lenalee, or spilled flesh rather."

"Shut up!" she snaps, rounding on me, "Just because _you_ never cry-."

I tap the side of my eye. "I'm physically incapable, or did you forget? But in all seriousness," I then step over to Allen and gingerly take his left hand in mine. "This isn't something a little of my Blood won't fix. Trust me. Come on, Allen."

I then start to pull him towards the door leading below deck.

"Hey, wait! Where are we going?"

"To find some place less hazardous," I reply simply, "Yang would kill me if I got Blood all over the deck."

As Allen and I step down into the musty underbelly of the ship by way of rickety stairs, I hear the blast of steam and whistle of the ship go off behind us, followed by Yang shouting at his crew to hoist the sails and Mahoja commands departure.

I lead Allen down a hallway and eventually choose a door that seems to lead into a sitting area that's probably used as a navigation space as evidenced by the large table full of maps and ship's compasses. In the corner, there's a huge window with a view of the sea and Guangzhou getting small and smaller as we cut through the waves heading east. Below the window is a low bench with a green cushion covering it.

"Here we are," I guide him over to the latter, pulling off the cushion and sitting down. "Come here," I pat the spot beside me.

Allen obliges.

"Here. Gimme your arm."

He holds it out to me and I gently run my fingers along the shriveled flesh, caressing my thumb along the edges of one of the holes as I inspect it.

Allen jerks back from me. "Ah! D-Don't do that!"

I look up at him, surprised.  
"Did that hurt?

Allen grits his teeth, nodding.

"Sorry." I then shift somewhat, careful not to touch the sensitive spots again as place one hand on the underside of his own while I raise my other one to my mouth and sink my teeth into my forearm. The familiar metallic taste of my Blood explodes in my mouth, and I pull back with a trail still connecting my lips as the rest of the crimson fluid starts to spill down my sleeve.

I angle my arm to enable a few thick drops to fall onto the damaged parts of the Weapon.

Allen closes his eyes, inhaling sharply.

"That still hurt?"

"Kind of."

"Damn, this thing is sensitive. Sorry. I'm trying to be gentle."

"I know," Allen reopens his eyes after a moment, glancing down at his arm just as my Blood starts to seep into it, effectively closing the wounds, although not as well as I'd like. "Thanks."

Allen slowly pulls his arm back, gingerly gripping it in his other one.

I eye him warily. "How long has that thing been bothering you?"

"Longer then I'd care to admit."

"You should have said something."

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

I shake my head. "You're unbelievable sometimes."

"You're unbelievable all the time."

I snort. "Guilty as charged." My expression softens somewhat, however, as I look at Allen holding his arm against his chest.

I feel a twinge of guilt in seeing the way he always gets so self-conscious whenever he has it out. People really must have given him a lot of shit for it in the past.

"Hey, uh, I'm sorry, by the way."

Allen blinks. "There's no need to apologize, Cas; you were trying to help."

I shake my head. "No. Not about that. I feel bad, about when we first met, and I said your arm was gross. If I'd known how self-conscious you were about it then I never would've…" I pause, taking a deep breath, "Actually, I suppose I would have said it anyways. Back then, I didn't care who I hurt. I do now though, it kind of sucks."

Allen looks at me in astonishment. "It's no big deal, Cas, really. It's an understandable reaction." He holds up the arm. "It is gross."

I huff. "It is not. You're too hard on yourself."

"Look who's talking."

I stare at him, startled.

"You have far more compassion then you believe, Cas," Allen declares.

I shift awkwardly on my end of the window seat as his words sink in. I cross my arms. "I suppose _now_ I do, after everything that's happened. After joining the order, meeting Lavi and Krory, Lenalee, even Kanda…and you. It was like I was asleep, and then I woke up."

Allen looks at me with an expression I can't really read. "Cas..."

"You saved me, Allen. You know that?" I continue; once I'd started, I just couldn't stop. "It was a slippery slope that I just kept falling down. Not caring about anything, how easy it was, and how much I liked it, and how many people got hurt as a consequence. I was falling into a dark place, but you pulled me out of it."

"You pulled yourself out, Cas."

"Only because you were there to help me," I reach out and tenderly place my hand on top of his. "You showed me that there was something more to my life even after everything I'd lost. That I wasn't just a Weapon, a destroyer. That my life could still have meaning, that there was still a road ahead of me, and it was of my choosing." I squeeze his hand, feeling a heat behind my eyes, "I will always be grateful to for you that."

I look up to see that Allen is staring at me intently, and I'm rather alarmed, even more so when he reaches out and places his hand on the side of my face.

"Cas," he leans forward, "Can I-Can I kiss you?"

His words slam into me, and I'm jerking backwards practically on instinct.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I flail; pulling back from him so suddenly, I fall off the window seat and land on my ass on the hard wooden floor.

Allen looks down at me, his mouth half open in shock. "Cas…What's wrong?"

"W-Why the hell did you just ask to kiss me?" I exclaim, struggling to keep my voice even as I scramble to my feet.

Allen continues to gawk at me, standing up as well. "Why?! Isn't that obvious? Because I _like_ you."

I feel like a very heavy weight has just fallen into my stomach. As his words sink in, I find it harder and harder to breathe.  
"You-You like…? No. No, no, you shouldn't-That isn't-," I stammer, completely and utterly floored.

"What do you mean, I shouldn't?" Allen starts forward, "Cas, what are you-?" He attempts to take my hand but I pull back.

His eyes flit to mine, and I feel like I'm about to start hyperventilating, trying to get a grip on myself.

I should be overjoyed in this moment; I should be happy, but I'm not. All I feel is fear.

"Cas, why?" Allen demands, "Why are you being like this? Do you not…Do you not feel the same?"

My mouth parts as I look at him, a soft, desperate gasp escapes my lips as I see him looking at me, his eyes wide as realization just begins to sink in.

And I know what I have to do in that moment, and it might just kill me.

I have to hurt him.

I slowly shake my head, "I don't."

There's silence for the space of a heartbeat before sob escapes Allen's lips just before he claps a hand over his mouth and his legs give out under him. He falls to his knees in front of me; as I stare down at him in shock, tears start spilling from his eyes, and he bends forward, crying like he's in physical pain.  
"I-I don't understand," his voice shakes horribly as he tries to speak, "These last few weeks, I thought…H-How could you…?"

How could I? How could _you_? How could you develop feelings for a girl with an icy heart? The one person alive that you _shouldn't_ love. Why? Why did this have to happen? I can deal with this. I can take knowing that this can never happen, but you…If you knew, you'd never…

"Allen, please," I whisper, "I didn't…I didn't know that this-I'm sorry."

"Are you stupid!" he cries, looking back at me with tears spilling down his face, "For someone who claims to feel other's emotions, did you not realize what you were doing? Did you honestly think after everything we've been through, all the things you've said to me, what we've done together, how you made me feel? Did you honestly think I wouldn't fall in love with you?!"

My heart leaps into my throat as a gasp escapes my lips. Allen looks as shocked as I feel, he claps his hand over his mouth and falls forward, crying harder.

His words seem to remain in the air, frozen between us. I'm too shocked to speak for a moment even though I probably should.

He loves me?

I never thought I'd hear someone say that to me ever again.

"Allen," I start towards him, dropping down to my knees before him as I reach out to touch his shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" he knocks my hand aside, "Why? Why would you do this to me? Why would you say and do all those things?" He grips the side of his head, his finger shaking as his breathing trembles. "I-I can't believe what you say. I just can't. The way you look at me…For God's sake, you must feel something. Why are you denying it?"

"As if it would matter," I exclaim, jumping back up, "It's better this way, Allen. Believe me."

He falters, glancing up at me. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm no good for you. Really, I'm not."

"Oh, don't give me that shit!" Allen jumps up as well. "I've heard it all before, and you should know that I don't give a damn about any of it! I know you, all of you, and I care about you regardless of everything. That's what it means to love someone!"

"But why did you have to love _me_? For God's sake, Allen!"

"As if I had a choice!" Allen yells, "You don't choose who you love, Cas; you of all people should know that!"

"Allen, please," My chest is burning, my stupid heart scalding my insides, "I'm just trying to protect you."

"From _what_?! What are you so afraid of?"

I look at him, and I feel like everything's spinning. I stumble backwards, nearly losing my footing as I press my back against the wall beside the door, my hands unfolding from their fists as I look at Allen with his heartbroken eyes.

Do I really have to do this? The one thing that has never left my lips. To tell Allen the one secret that would make him terrified of me? Perhaps he can look past the human parts of me…

But what about what isn't?"

What isn't human.

"A-Allen, I…"

I can't do it. I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head vigorously as the words that I dread so heavily settle like boiling soup in the pit of my stomach. "Emma didn't even know."

"Know? Know _what_?" Allen demands.

I open my mouth to respond, more uncertain of the words to do so then anything else in my life.

However, before I can speak, we both hear someone shout from above deck:  
"Akuma!"

It shatters everything, it's like time had stopped and now it's suddenly starting again, hurtling us back into a chaotic reality and practically giving me whiplash.

I feel sick, and the rocking of the ship has nothing to do with it. For a moment, I can't move.

Allen wipes his eyes before pointing a finger at me. "We are _not_ done with this conversation."

With that, he rushes past me out the door and down the hall back towards the upper deck.

I gasp, feeling like something is constricting my lungs.

After a second, I follow him.

It's complete mayhem when I reach the deck, everyone is running around gathering what they can to defend themselves while Yang and Mahoja shout commands.

"Everyone, arm yourselves!"

In the distance, I can faintly make out a fuzzy black cloud rippling steadily towards us on the horizon, like a ribbon of smoke. They draw steadily closer, and I feel like my Blood turns to ice in my veins.

There are so many of them. There must be hundreds, far more than in Barcelona, and they're all Level IIs. Thousands upon thousands of eyes, teeth, claws and black, black bodies all swarming towards us. They surround us, shrouding out their sun through the force of their sheer numbers, turning night to day in a matter of seconds, choking out all light.

"Why so many?" Anita cries.

"It is obvious they are trying to slow us down," Bookman declares.

"Well, we can't let them," Lavi announces, turning to Allen and me as we approach the others. "About time ,you two."

I ignore him, glancing at Allen, but he doesn't look at me. His eye has activated as has his Weapon in its gun form. With a yell, he fires into the swarm, destroying four Akuma in two shots before sprinting towards the masts of the ship.

I, meanwhile, find it difficult to move. My head is pounding, everything seems brighter and louder than usual, like the aftermath of an explosion.

My thoughts are racing, mixing with my Blood as the Akuma pour down around us.

That can't be happening right now. I try to make my mind to go blank, to just stop thinking.

The Akuma surge forward, and then they're upon us. The black cloud crashes into us, churning the waters below us as the sheer force knocks us back like the wind of a storm.

Everyone shields they're eyes, struggling to remain upright as the ship knocks about in the waters. The Akuma rush past us, like bullets being shot from guns.

I look up, startled to see that none on of them breaks speed or formation to attack us, they don't even seem to look at us.

I turn to the others to see my own shock reflected in their faces.  
"What're they doing?" Lavi cries.

"They're going right past the ship," Krory exclaims. "What is going on?"

"Where are they headed that's more important than _us_?" I demand.

"It doesn't matter," Allen calls to us from the top of the mast, which he'd scaled. "We can't let them get there!"

With that, he turns and fires his Weapon furiously into the crowd, not even really needing to aim as each blast seems to hit a mark somewhere in the swarm.

"Allen, behind you!" I notice the same time Allen does, in my stunted movements.

"Well, well, look at the little Exorcist!" the Akuma croons, startling Allen and causing him to nearly fall from the top of the rigging. However, the Akuma snatches him up in his claws before he can slip.

Allen screams as the

"Allen!" Lenalee shrieks as he's carried off, moving in and out of sight.

"Allen!" My feet are moving before I even realize it, my Blood burning as I keep my eyes desperately trained on Allen slipping repeatedly from them as the Akuma carries him further off. I shoot my arm out, extending a Blood tentacle as far as I can, but it falls just short of striking the Akuma that has hold of him as it cackles gleefully, hauling Allen further and further way.

Allen's yell echoes across the waves before it fades into obscurity.

"No! Shit," I draw up short at the bow of the ship, faintly seeing Allen's image becoming more and more of an indiscriminate speck amidst the black, twisted shapes of the Akuma.

"They're heading towards the mainland." I turn just as Lenalee rushes up behind me. "Don't worry. I'll get him."

In a flash, her Dark Boots activate, and she leaps into the air.

"Wait!" I call to her as I scramble up onto the edge of the stern, gripping the firm wood as I hang precariously over the churning water. "I'm coming too."

Lenalee falters in midair, turning to look at me in bemusement. "And how exactly do you expect to do that? I can't carry you."

I can't help smirk. "Like this."

With that, I let go of the side of ship. I faintly hear Lavi scream "Cassandra!" as I plummet towards the water below me, turning over and over. For a split second, I'm in an uncontrollable freefall before I regain my composure and spur my concentration. My Blood flows thickly and the back of my cloak and shirt suddenly tears open.

I feel a sudden surge upward as the wind catches. I jolt slightly, struggling for a split second before an apparent instinct takes over, some intrinsic part of my Weapon as I open the crimson, gossamer wings even wider and soar out over the waters.

I glance over my shoulder to see a satisfying look of shock on Lenalee's face.  
"Come on, Lenalee. Try to keep up!" I call back jokingly while internally I'm a little shaken.

 _Shit! I wasn't a hundred percent sure that would work. That would have been really embarrassing._

It only takes a second for Lenalee to catch up and overtake me, her Dark Boots still much faster than my Bloody wings, but I manage to hold my own.

We're back to the mainland within seconds, a few more pass before Guangzhou fades into the horizon at our backs, and soon its only rolling forests and cliffs rushing beneath me as we tail the Akuma swarm to destinations unknown.

Even though we linger at just the edge of their pack, none of them pay us even the least amount of acknowledgement.

This is so bizarre.

Also...

Holy shit I'm flying.

It's only when I have a second, do I properly let my thoughts sink in about what I have just recently learned about myself. I flap my wings hard, determined to keep up with Lenalee and the Akuma horde, and feel a surge in the pit of my stomach as I move faster, the red feathers rippling around me.

If I didn't have Allen to worry about in this moment, I might have been really excited.

Right now, I'm focused on two things: retrieving him and not crashing into a tree.

An explosion goes off ahead of us, and I mange to narrow in on it in time to see a familiar orange flash and an eruption of ash as an Akuma explode. Then another goes off, then another.

"Allen!" Lenalee picks up speed, and I'm quick to follow as we streak towards the source of the explosions.

I soon see their cause as we weave through the massive swarm. Allen is firing at the Akum as the one that still has hold of him continues to grip him precariously within its gigantic metallic talons.

"Hey, hey! Don't do that," the Akuma holding him snarls in response to Allen destroying his comrades willy nilly. "You don't want me to accidentally drop you? Do you?"

The question is apparently rhetorical because a second later, the Akuma does just that.

It opens its claws, and Allen falls.

"Allen!" the scream tears through my chest. It's like slow motion as I watch him fall down towards the trees and rocky terrain miles below. I can't seem to move my wings fast enough as I fold them and turn down into a dive.

The wind howls in my ears as I streak towards the ground, one arm outstretched, desperately.

Allen yells as he tumbles through the air in free fall.

"Allen!" I yell his hand again, straining as I draw ever closer as does the ground beneath.

A little more…Just a little more.

My fingers brush the tips of his glove and I grab them with all my might just as we break the trees.

Branches snap around as we tumble through the brambles in a shower of leaves. I grasp Allen's hand, pulling him into my chest as I roll over at the last second, falling wings first on my back, shielding Allen from the brunt of the impact.

It hurts, but not as much as it probably should

He rolls off me almost instantly, gasping. He still hasn't deactivated his Weapon, and I'm pretty sure part of it hit me in the face as we fell, which is probably going to be bruised later.

Allen sits up on all force, coughing heavily. His face is covered with scratches and there are bits of twigs and leaves in his hair.

I look at him, but he doesn't look back at me.

"I-um…"

"Where are you, Exorcists?" the Akuma's familiar snarl is an instant sign it has followed our descent.

Immediately, Allen and I dive into the bushes, trying our best to obscure our black, white and red bodies amidst the denser green foliage.

The Akuma slither down amongst the bent and snapped branches, broken in our fall: the one that had been carrying Allen and two more.

They press in close to us, sniffing and snuffling about the bushes.  
"Here, birdy, birdy."

"Do you think this is wise?" one of the other Akuma inquires of the first. "The task the Millennium Earl gave us wasn't to kill the Exorcists."

 _Task? So, there is something around here that they were sent to find. Innocence? Maybe, but I didn't feel anything..._

"You're just jealous because I'm going to kill them," the first Akuma says of the second's quibble.

"No fair! At least save me half," the second shoots back.

"And me!" the third chirps.

However, none of them get their wish in ripping Allen and me apart, but Leanlee suddenly brings down her foot on the largest one's head: effectively cracking its skull before kicking her boots through the remaining two, reducing them to ash before they even realize what's happened.

"Lenalee!" Allen breaks through the bushes, waving his hand to get her attention.

She turns towards us, a relieved smile crossing her face.

She's about to fly down to us when there's suddenly a great explosion; the kind that is felt internally before externally, a single whimper that erupts into a bang that shatters your eardrums, makes your vision go white and hits your body so hard, everything that's skin deep goes numb.

I'm thrown backwards into a void of violent stimuli, my mind momentarily hazy as I struggle to regain a grip on myself. When everything jumps back into clarity, I find myself twisting in the air and veer to the left sharply before I almost smash into a tree.

I curl my wings as I swoop upwards amidst the branches, trying to regain my bearings.

Meanwhile, the remaining Akuma are sweeping around some gigantic white shape that is just beginning to appear over the tops of the trees like a great white sun.

I'm not able to focus on it for long, however, before I catch a glimpse of Lenalee breaking through the horde and streaking towards a plateau on a neighboring mountain with Allen in tow.

I quickly follow them, catching up just as Lenalee lands on the smoothed over rock, gently setting Allen down beside her.

"You guys okay," I ask, flapping my wings heavily as I hover over them.

Lenalee nods.

Allen looks at me for the first time, or rather at my wings, unable to conceal his shock.  
"Cas…since when could you _fly_?"

"Since about five minutes ago," I reply simply, alighting on the plateau next to Lenalee.

Before any of us can speak further, a great bellow suddenly rings out throughout the valley, ricocheting off the mountains lining the perimeter as it surges outward before violently folding back inwards as it implodes within itself and rattles your insides.

Lenalee and Allen both cry out, gripping their ears, while I momentarily find myself unable to move as the sound fills me, fills me with an emotion so vast, so deep…

So dark, so horrible.

My knees buckle and I fall to the ground before I even realize what it is that's I'm feeling.

It's pain.

But it's more than that.

This isn't pain of the body.

It's pain of the soul.

Inside, there's a white, white fire, and it's burning me.

When I have control of my sight again, I look up

It's then that I see exactly what it is.

It's enormous: about the size of one of the nearby mountains. It's milk white and seems to be glowing faintly in the haze of early dusk. As I rises into the air, I can make out what appears to be a gigantic human torso with no arms or legs, instead long, milky tentacles wriggle out from where the latter should be. There's no head either, just a large torso encircling the stump of the neck. From its chest, where its heart should be, there's a large open tear like a gaping wound, leaking pale blue fluid that drips down the creature's massive chest.

It seperates into the trees, coming full into view, this twisted, wretched creature that feels even more wrong

As it comes into view, the Akuma pounce upon it; they start firing into the creature's hide with their poison bullets.

It bellows again with that same pain that slices through to my core. I fall forward on all fours, gasping as I feel the emotion burning through me, like its eating up everything inside me, leaving nothing behind but blackened soot and ash.

I can't breathe.

I faintly hear the sound of someone shrieking. I think it's Lenalee as she looks at that horrible white creature, that gaping, leaking, cancerous sore as it screams again and crashes into the side of the mountain, relentless persued

As I look on, it's like my vision tunnels, like the Blood behind my eyes pulses into me, deeper, further than ever before.

The large cist growing from the creature's chest, where a heart should be beating but all that sits is bubbling fluid is a face.

A human face: as white as the hide of the creature it's buried within

It's a familiar face despite its blackened eyes and the blood dripping from its featureless body: no hair or distinguishable traits.

It's been striped clean to nothing more than some kind of symbol of torment.

My heart is burning in my chest, consumed in the flames this creature is creating.

What is it?

Get it away!

Make it go away!

Make it stop!

My Blood churns, screaming in my head. I can feel it pressing against the underside of my skin.

In an instant, it's like something snaps.

I throw my head back as my Blood explodes from every pour in a writhing mass of tentacles.

And I scream.

* * *

A/N: *Peeks out from under her bed* We've still got an entire other season, Hallow, and about 20+ more manga chapters beyond that. This may not be a permanent thing!  
Anyways…leave reviews and questions and all that good stuff. See you next week.


	42. Chapter 42

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: You are a fucking TEASE, man. My god Cas, you broke poor Allen's heart. Many times. Damn, It'd be per-fucking-fect if they kissed.  
And Cas taking that dive, the scene I imagined up from your description is just AWESOME. Thank you for the blood angel, mate!  
And that last part [] you are going to kill her with the damn link. My god.  
And good luck with 60-something chapter ahead of ye lol

A: I really am though. I'm sorry. Maybe they would have actually kissed for at least a second if Allen wasn't Allen and didn't ask permission lol. On that note, Cas did break Allen's heart which is why I was nervous as all hell to write this scene, but I think it came out alright.  
Yes! Fun fact: one of the inspirations for Cas's abilities was Chouji Suitengu from the anime _Speed Grapher_ , who, like Cas, is a plasmakinetic and can form his blood into wings, so I figured it would only make sense for Cas to be able to do it also. I'm glad you thought I did a good job describing them, flying sequences are understandably hard to write.  
Well, considering how Cas's empathy reacts to Innocence being destroyed, it being corrupted would probably have a pretty intense effect on her as well. Cas's heart of Innocence is a pain in the ass.  
Thanks. This is going to be a multi-installment fic, and there are at least three installments counting this one so far. I'll see how much more needs to be adapted once the manga finishes (*screams internally because chapter 224 was delayed*)

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: I knew I shouldn't have gotten comfortable with the newly realized feelings and I was right. Also how did I know she'd say white rose~? _~ But really I knew it wasn't going to be this easy for them to get together. There's the secret alluded to in this chapter AND Cas making out with Tyki in that alleyway that needs to come out before something can work. That is not going to be a comfortable conversation. But yeah! No need to feel self-conscious about this chapter, we're not mad at you we all know Cas would hide her feelings from him to be in keeping with her character. (And really, the mix of her being miserable, angry, and lovesick, etc while Allen recuperates from Tyki's attack spices up that time even more in just the right way because of her hiding her feelings. Ohohoho she is NOT going to forgive Tyki for that one.) Keep up the great work and I hope your exam goes well!

A: Yes! You are a hundred percent right. I considered sailing this ship in this chapter, but like you mentioned, later events hold a little more weight if I don't do that yet. Also, Cas still does have her issues and reservations that she's keeping to herself as referenced by the title of the previous chapter: 'The Final Secret'. I'm glad this makes sense; I did feel that it was fitting for Cas's character. Thanks for not hating me lol. She really isn't going to forgive him, despite how hot she thinks he is. Callen has a wrench and thy name is Tyki Mikk. Although, I'm surprised no one's considered that Tyki might do something to CAS as well. Considering that he kind of likes her in his own psycho Noah way, it's going to be all kinds of fucked up. Thanks so much! :D

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: Cas, you big dummy! You are only hurting yourself in the long run! -hugs Cas tightly while crying-

A: Cas, unfortunately, seems to lake foresight. Don't cry! It's going to be alright:(

From: Oz  
Q: Hay, what would you say Cas's synchro rate is at the moment? Just wondering.  
Damn... Empathy is a really pain in the ares, poor Cas it just never ends huh?

A: Cas is about where Allen is synchronization-wise. Hevlaska mentioned that all the way back in chapter 4. I'm pretty excited 'cause we're nearing Cas's evolved Innocence transformation and its AWESOME! Empathy is a literal pain (sorry, horrible joke) but it does give Cas one of her most significant virtues in having a sense of sympathy, even for those that probably don't deserve it…

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS AND ALLEN:

Cas: *not looking at Allen*

Allen: *not looking at Cas*

Me: Well, this is going to be an awkward Q&A

Cas: In light of recent events, are you really so surprised?

Me: No, I suppose not. Anyways, here are some more questions for TitanOfStone: "I assure you, I'm not gonna sexually assault you in this chapter. Maybe the next but... Not this one *wink*"

Cas: What the fuck…?

Me: Okay, this is a legitimate question: "What'd you do if you can't bring out the wings and dive head-first into the water? :p"

Cas: I honestly didn't think that far ahead. I was just trying to show up Lenalee; call me bullheaded. I'm German.

Me: And the last one: "Just turn into a Kakuja already, Cassandra!"

Cas: Don't I need to eat a whole lot of Ghouls first?

* * *

Chapter 42: Fallen

* * *

I think I'm falling. I'm not sure where I am. I can't see or even breathe.

All I can do is scream.

I'm tumbling down into a torrent from where there is no escape, a storm that thrashes and churns around me like a violent whirlpool, both the sky and the waters weeping profusely so much that it stings.

Images surge upwards out of the raging foam, shards of thought and memory like the broken pieces of a stained-glass window.

A little green haired girl in a pink nightgown bearing witness to something she shouldn't have.

A little boy with a face unremembered lead by the hand to Hevlaska's room as the Guardian places the shard within the boy's chest.

A surging pain, a violent agony that plunges through all three layers of feeling: mind, boy, and soul…

All of it consumed by a twisted, vile disease as the boy howls through bloody tears and the beast spreads forth from his body like an Akuma breaks from the flesh of its victim.

The creature groans as its slowly ripped apart.

 _Cas…Cas. Cas!_

"Cas!"

Reality bursts before my eyes as they snap open. I'm lying on the plateau with Allen crouched over me.

In the distance, I hear the behemoth creature moan as the Akuma continue to assault it. It's cries send tremors straight down to my core.

"Wh-What happened?" I groan as I slowly sit up. Every movement sends biting aches throughout my entire body.

Allen grips my shoulder. "Cas, it's Lenalee."

I look at him and then turn my gaze over to where the girl is crumbled on the ground with her head in her hands, umoving.

"She-I don't know what to do."

I look at her, and the flickering images all seem to fall into place around me. Another loud roar from the misshapen beast seems to make everything shake, outside and in.

I slowly stagger to my feet, stumbling and falling down onto one knee. My Blood is surging under my skin, writhing like a nest of snakes. There's a need, a desire for destruction, for eradication, to blot out this stain upon our reality.

I ignore the pull as I manage to make my way over to Lenalee.

"Hey, Lenalee," I drop down next to her, but she doesn't respond to me. "Lenalee, snap out of it." I grab her by the shoulders and yank her up into a sitting position, so I'm looking her dead in the eye.

Her hair has come loose from its pigtails and her purple eyes are big and dark. As I look at her, I see that tiny girl in the nightgown.

"Lenalee, you know what that thing is, don't you?" Realization flickers in this deep eyes as she stares up at me, her lips parting ever so slightly. I resist the urge to shake her roughly as I grit my teeth in frustration. "Lenalee, you have to talk to me. You have to tell me what you know."

She doesn't answer, just continues to stare at me.

"Lenalee! Answer me!" I yell, and it finally seems to shatter the haze around her form.

She drops her eyes as tears begin to spill from them, slowly nodding her head.  
"Yes, I-I know what that thing is."

"You do?" Allen comes up behind us.

"You've seen it before, haven't you?" I continue.

Lenalee's eyes grow even wider as more tears pool in them.  
"Yes," she whimpers before burying her face in her hands, sobbing loudly.

"Lenalee," My voice is quieter as I reach out towards her. "That thing...What is it? Why does my Innocence want to destroy it?"

"Be-Because it's wrong," the other girl finally replies, "It's a rejected Innocence."

Beside me, Allen's eyes widen. "Rejected Innocence? Lenalee, what are you talking about?"

"We all know that Innocence chooses who uses it, Allen, but sometimes the union was…forced."

"Forced?"

Lenalee nods slowly, wiping her eyes. "By-By the Order. I saw it, when I first joined. There were these secret experiments. Children…It was always children. They forced Hevlaska to try and create a connection between a person and an Innocence shard, but never worked." She claps a hand over her mouth as a sob escapes between her fingers. "Instead, the person became that…that thing. The Innocence became corrupted, it rejected its attempted owner and mutated itself and them beyond saving." She closes her eyes, shaking her head as he arms encircle her head. "They called it a Fallen One. They had to-They had to put it down like a dog. They couldn't save it! He was just a little boy." Lenalee's voice breaks as she collapses into deeper sobs.

"No," Allen shakes his head vigorously, "No, the Order wouldn't do that. They wouldn't do something so inhumane."

I'm in shock too, or as much as my Blood allows to permit the rational thought beside the instinctual bloodlust.

The Black Order, that my grandmother had hailed as the savior of mankind, the Branch of the bloody Catholic Church, and yet they would subject God's children to fates worse than death?

I feel like a crack forms in my resolve, slithering across my mind and breaching a dark place.

"It can't be true," Allen whispers.

But it is true, I saw it.

"They-They stopped doing it, but only when it was too late for so, so many people," Lenalee bawls, her whole body trembling. "They just wanted more Exorcists!"

"Lenalee," Allen attempts to soothe her as he drops to his knees beside her shaking form, placing a hand on her shoulder. I, meanwhile, heave myself to my feet and walk to the edge of the plateau, looking out across the valley as the creature is slammed into the side of another mountain with a noise like thunder and an explosion at the same time, pinned down by the Akuma and their toxic bullets.

I can smell their poison blood, heavy in the air like a storm cloud from the swarm and the burning aroma of the Fallen One, like roasting flesh.

It feels like a hot blade is slicing through my chest.

I first a handful of my cloak at the spot where my heart rests beneath the folds. It's scalding the inside my of skin. My chest burns.

The notion, the thoughts. My own thoughts circling around inside my mind:

 _Kill it. Kill it. Destroy it!_

 _They put it down like a dog._

"I don't understand though," Allen pulls me from my thoughts as I turn to look back at him and Lenalee. "If what Lenalee says it true, the Order stopped doing this, so where did-where did this thing come from?"

I glance back at the Fallen One.

I buckle slightly as that metaphorical blade almost seems to slid in deeper as I fold over, gripping my abdomen like I've been punched in the gut.

However, as I continue to stare at the bulbous mass of tentacles and scaly white skin, something sticks out to me that I'd only noticed in passing before. There is a face nestled within that creauture, imprisoned within the gapping wound, weeping blue puss from its hollow chest cavity.

The person with skin whiter than milk, a face undistinguishable as it screams and cries out in an agony and-was it rage?

"Lenalee," I say quietly, "I can see a person, buried inside that thing."

"He'll be consumed," she whispers, "He'll be consumed like that boy was, screaming. Oh God, I don't-I don't want to watch that again."

"Lenalee…" Allen sends me a helpless look, but a cry that we weren't expecting catches all our attention.

The person writhing within the depths Fallen one: in the distance, I see them throw their head back and howl in pain and misery and such an instense rage it burns through to my very soul.

"I WILL NOT BE SEEN!"

I'm startled; there's something familiar in that voice, something slight and nagging at the very back fo my mind. However, before I can ponder it further, light suddenly explodes in front of our eyes, a force and a heat that knocks me back, and it's all I can do it put up a last minute Blood shield to protect us and the plateau from being consumed.

"Holy fuck!" I stagger back, reeling as blinding columns of burning light burst from the creature's bulk and envelop everything in their path: the Akuma crumble to ashes, and the entire forest below catches fire, a great explosion of smoke, light and flame like a bomb had just been dropped, erupts into the sky and spreads out around us, making everything red.

My eyes sting as I retract the shield. I stagger, struggling to regain my bearings as I feel like I have whiplash. However, something in my mind seems to have been knocked into place, a memory of a brief instance so long ago.

"Cas, are you alright?" Allen leaves Lenalee for a moment and goes over to me as I sway on the spot, gripping my arm to steady me.

I look at him. "Suman Dark."

His eyes widen. "What?"

"The Fallen One is Suman Dark," I whisper as the realization continues to unfold within me. "Do you remember? We met him once when we first joined the Order."

Allen takes a moment, but I see the memory resurface in his eyes, and he eventually nods.

"Suman?!" Lenalee's shriek as my words sink in make us both turn towards her. She looks so fragile, kneeling on the ground with both hands over her mouth like she might scream and be sick simulataneously. "But he-No, not Suman. Why? Why?! He's-He's an Accommodator. A Parasite-type. W-Why would his Innocence betray him?!"

"I don't know," I glance back towards the Fallen One as the smoke starts to clear. "I only know that it's him."

"Cas!" Lenalee crawls over to me, grabbing my sleeve and shaking it roughly. "We have to save Suman!"

"Is that even a question?" I try to give her a reassuring smile as I toss my braid over my shoulder, "Of course we will."

Allen still looks suspicious as he looks out towards Suman and the Fallen one. "This whole thing still doesn't make sense."

"We can worry about that later," I urge. "If what Lenalee says is true, we don't have a lot of time."

Allen looks like he's about to argue, but after a moment, nods his head in agreement.

I turn to Lenalee. "You coming?'

She nods after a moment, her resolve hardening as she finally manages to clamber to her feet.  
"Innocence, activate!" The familiar green glow consumes her Dark Boots as she leaps from the edge of the plateau and an energy pulse propels her forwards towards the Akuma swarm and the Fallen One.

As she takes off, I concentrate my own energy, managing to get my Blood under control enough for it to spring out from my back as it forms into wings. I catch Allen looking at me in shock and slight awe and feel a twinge of discomfort in the pit of my stomach.

"Um," I step over to him, holding out my hands. "Is it alright if I-uh."

He drops his eyes. "Sure. Like you said, we have to hurry."

"Right." I then move behind him and wrap my arms around his torso. I try to hold back a wince as his hand grips my own. After a moment's hesitation, I throw us off the edge of the cliff, and my wings open to propel us forward after Lenalee.

"Allen, stop wriggling so much or I'm going to drop you."

"Sorry."

Meanwhile, the glow of Lenalee's Innocence increases, and a great burst of energy erupts from her kick, forming into a full blown tornado that knocks the Akuma backwards, many of them exploding from the impact while the rest are thrown off into obscurity. Meanwhile, the Fallen One lurches out of the swarm's path as we streak towards it.

"Suman!" Lenalee yells as we near the creature's bulk, but the withered figure knotted within the chest doesn't respond. The closer we get, the more horrible the being appears: stripped of everything but flesh with blackened eyes that weep blood profusely.

There's a wretched smell emitting from the fluid, and a notion that makes my insides shake like I have a fever. My Blood thrashes around inside me, and its all I can do to maintain my wings.

"Suman!" Lenalee approaches the weeping wound.

"Lenalee, wait," I call out, stopping her in her tracks, "Don't get too close."

She falters just out of reach of any of the writhing tendrils, continuing to call out to her comrade.  
"Suman, can you hear me? It's me: Lenalee. We're going to help you. Suman!"

Suman doesn't reply, his bloated body remains motionless like a drowned corpse suspended in liquid.

Lenalee falters, stricken by the lack of response.

I do my best to remain pragmatic. "Okay, we need to pull him out. Allen, wrap your arms around my neck, so I can have my hands free."

"Okay."

He complies, but it's soon followed by his legs wrapping around my waist as he obviously gets nervous with them just dangling several miles in the air.

I try to ignore the rather pleasurable position as I stick out my hand and Blood feathers from under my sleeve. Two tentacles shoot towards Suman's body, intent to wrap around his arms and yank him free of the void within the hollow chest.

However, as soon as the tentalces even brush against the Fallen One's eroded skin, a feeling like white hot acid shoots back up from the creature and into my body. I seize up as my body contorts and fireworks erupt in front of my eyes. I scream, flailing wildly as I struggle to remain in the air.

"Cas!" Allen's grip tightens on me to the point I almost can't breathe as I retract my tentacles by mere reflex alone as the pain surges within me, gasping heavily as it continues to course in my veins like I've bene electrically shocked.

"Cas, what's wrong?" Allen struggles to hold onto me as I flail in the air. I manage to regain control of myself at the last minute as he looks up at me, eyes wide with shock and concern.

"I-I'm okay," I attempt to assure him, but I don't feel like it: my brain is rattled and there's a soreness bubbling up in my insides.

"Come on!" Lenalee calls to us just as she manages to move past the wall of thorny tendrils and perches on a crag projecting out from the edge of the open wound.

"Cas, set me down," Allen says to me.

I hesitantly oblige. As I perch him on a pike opposite Lenalee, my fingers grasp a spike above it, and the pain erupts from the contact once more.

I shriek and jerk back, my whole arm stricken and numb as my Blood screams in my ears.  
I gasp heavily as I grip the limb and press it to my chest, trying to soothe it back to normalcy.  
"I-I can't-I can't touch it," I call to the others.

"Don't come any closer, Cas," Allen holds out a hand to stop me as I remain suspended by my surprisingly maintained wings, gripped only by the preservation to keep me in the air. "Lenalee and I will try to pull him out."

"Suman," the former is still trying to get through to our fellow Exorcist, but whatever remains of Suman doesn't seem to hear or see any of us. Is there anything left? Is he nothing but an empty shell?

"Lenalee," Allen calls to her, "We have to try and pull him out at the same time. Alright?"

She looks at him, wordlessly nodding. The two of them cautiously move closer towards the motionless body while I hover a few feet back, helpless and stricken because of it.

However, just as they're about to reach out to yank Suman free, the weeping fluid surges around him.

"Look out!" the yell barely escapes me before the fluid contorts and another face breaks free of the liquid. It's the face of a little Chinese girl with wide, petrified brown eyes.

"H-Help me," her voice is a haggard whisper, and it's all she's able to utter before the wound closes around her again, yanking her back inside.

Allen's arm dives in after her without hesitation. With a grunt of exertion, he manages to yank the girl free, gripping her by the nape of her dress.

"Allen!" Lenalee's petrified shriek makes my heart drop into my stomach, worsened only when I see her cause for alarm. The fluid has formed into an amoeba like mass with tendrils that reach out.

"Allen, no!" I dive forward, but am not fast enough as the wound grabs hold of him. He tries to yell, but it's swallowed by the mass covering his face.

My arms shoot out to try and pull him free, but the instant contact with the Fallen One makes me jerk back with another scream and burst of pain as my body pulls back on instinct alone while my mind screams for me to obey it.

Horrified, Allen holds out the girl to Lenalee.  
"Take her!" he manages to scream, and she does so before the tendrils consume him entirely, and the last thing I see is his single grey eye.

"ALLEN!" the scream couples with the panic that erupts inside my chest as I swoop down onto the Fallen One, gripping the edges of the wound despite the instant burning. I grit my teeth, my eyes watering as I struggle to hold on despite my insides writhing with agony from the contact. "Allen! Allen!" I keep screaming into the hole but no response comes.

My mind is racing, and I'm barely thinking as thread a rope of Blood out from my ankle and send it shooting out into the air around me, snapping like an agitated snake.

No, I will _not_ lose him. I will not have that image of him being consumed be the last I see of him. I will not!

"Cas," Lenalee looks at me in shock, clutching the now unconscious girl to her chest as I hold out the Blood tentacle like it's a belay rope.

"Take this. When I yank on it twice, pull us out."

"But, Cas, you're hands…"

I look at them for the first time, and my stomach turns in spite of myself to see that through the frayed fabric of my gloves, the skin is starting to blister, break and fall away like flecks of wet paper. The sight is sickening, but I can't focus on it for long.

I turn back to Lenalee. "I'm going after him, and you can't stop me. Now take this, and pulls us out when I tell you to."

Wordlessly, Lenalee accepts the rope of Blood, and I say no more as I turn and dive headfirst into the fluid.

It's like being submerged in a swarm of angry hornets. I can't even scream as the pain coats every inch of my body, I feel my flesh peeling way, my Blood restoring it, only for the Fallen One's rotted essence to tear it from me just as fast as I can heal it.

I can see everything, and at the same time, see nothing as thoughts, feelings, memories all of them come at me at once, too much to process at once.

Mind…Is this Suman's mind.?

There's something, something big and grand and important, but also so small and frail.

 _Jamie…_

His daughter?

A sick daughter.

 _Join the Order…. Become and Exorcist._

 _We will pay for your daughter's health. All the money you'll ever need._

 _But I can't see her!_

 _You'll live at the European Branch_

 _I want to be with my daughter!_

Memories pouring into me thick and fast, filling me up. I'm drowning.

I can't breathe.

My skin, coming away from my bones. I'm melting.

I'll be swallowed, striped away until there's nothing left, and I'll just become another memory.

 _No!_ I squeeze my eyes shut despite the fire and the water, all of it smoldering within me. _Focus, Cas; you can't let yourself become consumed by your_ own _memories, much less someone else's. Allen. Think of Allen. Find him!_

 _Stop it! Stop it, please!_

I hear the scream and it's like the waters part, and everything else becomes obsolete.

"Allen!" I yell as I push forward blindly, despite everything hurting right down to my core. I swim through the void, a mess of light, sound and color.

The human mind is a tempest.

But then I see him, tossed by the storm like me. Allen is suspended amidst hundreds of glowing strands, they stab and pierce his skin, striking through his face and chest.

He screams as he grips his head, tears leaking from his eyes. _My head! Please, it hurts. Stop it!_

 _Allen!_ I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out.

These thoughts…these feelings invading my mind. I'm used to this, but he isn't it.

He'll be consumed. He can't fight back.

I push forward, feeling like I'm swimming through syrup. I can't seem to move fast enough as my Bloody rope attached to my ankle ripples behind me, my own lifeline amidst this storm.

After what feels like an eternity, I reach him.

 _Allen, it's okay. I'm here._ Still no words leave my lips as I reach out to grab his shoulders. He thrashes around, writhing against the rivers of energy pouring into his body. His eyes are rolled back in his head. He can't see me. He's alone.

My own mind races as I try to think of how to break him free. Memories aren't tangible; they're not like burns or stab wounds, they can't be touched or felt or healed with a drop of Blood.

What Allen needs isn't my healing touch, what he needs is the only thing that is keeping me grounded right now. The strength of an empathic mind, for which I have only one solution.

I feel a bitter dread churning in the pit of my stomach when I realize what I have to do.

I sigh. "Sorry, Allen. Looks like you're getting that kiss after all."

I then cup my hands on either side of his face and press my lips lightly to his. A spark of electricity shoots through my entire body as I do so, punctuated further by Allen seemingly coming back to his senses as my stamina flows into his.

I feel a gasp catch in his throat as his whole body freezes, contorting against the manifested memories as they peel away one at a time, his mental strength, influenced by my own, beating them back.

His arms are around my neck before I can stop him, one hand fisting in my hair as he presses up against me, kissing me back fiercely.

I almost forget myself. It's good; it's so good.

For a moment, everything melts away; I forget Suman and the Fallen One and Lenalee and the Akuma outside.

Everything's gone. It's just Allen and me in the middle of this purple void.

I grip him tighter, feeling his warm body against me, his scent in my nose, caressing his face lightly. I find it hard to breathe; I want to part his lips with my tongue, explore the deeper places of Allen's mouth, to run my hands along his toned body and kiss his neck.

Allen moans quietly against my lips and that brings me back to Earth. I pull away from him, trying to conceal my reluctance as Allen lingers against my mouth, pecking me on the lips one last time before his body goes limp in my arms and he collapses against me, his head falling against my shoulder.

I hold onto him tightly, one hand absentmindedly trailing through his hair while the other turns and grips the rope of Blood dangling behind me.

However, before I can pull on it to signal Lenalee to tug us out, something makes me pause, a single emotion, far more powerful and terrible than the rest erupts inside my entire body, like my whole crumbling form is being painted in one broad stroke.

 _Please! I'm begging you! I don't want to die._

A shadow, lingering above the corpses of Kazana Reed and Chakar Labon. I remember them, Suman's comrades, killed while I was in Barcelona. I'd felt them leave this world, their souls flying off like the ashes of their Innocence in the wind.

The shadow over them…a blackened form with golden eyes that grins down at Suman's broken body.

 _Please, I don't want to die. Please don't kill me. I have to-I have to see my daughter again. Please, I can't leave her. I'll do anything!_

The Noah laughs. _Anything? Well, in that case…_

The realization that breaks through me in that moment is almost blinding.

Suman didn't fall because his Innocence betrayed him, he fell because _he_ betrayed his Innocence.

He'd betrayed the Order and his comrades to the Noah.

That's how the Noah were able to find Daisya and me in Barcelona and the other Exorcists that were killed that day. Because Suman had told them in exchange for his life.

I feel the beginnings of anger forming like a weed in my mind, but Jamie's face breaking across my vision makes that weed give pause in its growth.

A sick little girl who just wants her father to come home.

She doesn't know. She'll never know.

I look out into the nothingness and yet I'm looking at everything all at once. Suman's mind, his soul and the storm within.

A love tainted by hate that drove him to fall from grace.

The Fallen Exorcist: Suman Dark.

 _I just wanted to see my daughter._

 _I understand, Suman. I do._

My grip tightens on the Blood rope as I hold Allen against me; I firmly tug on it twice.

Almost instantly, everything rushes around us as I'm yanked backwards, gripping Allen as tightly as I can as we're pulled back through the violet abyss towards the faint flickering light and escape.

The light and the nose that assaults me as I break free of the Fallen One is almost deafening. I realize only after I've broken free that there was no physical sound within Suman's mind, and now there's the nose of the Fallen One and Lenalee and the lingering Akuma. I almost forget to reform my wings as I grip Allen with one hand, struggling to remain in the air properly.

"Allen! Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Just unconscious." As I speak, Allen shifts in my arms, starting to come 'round.

I look up at Lenalee, who's staring at me in horror. "Cas…your face."

I reach up to feel my face, or rather what I have left of it. My stomach turns as I run my fingers along the many open wounds. I must look like a zombie in this moment.

My flesh ripples as it starts to reform.

I shake my head, trying to clear it. "Never mind that." I point at the girl Lenalee is still holding. "You need to get her out of here."

Lenalee stares at me in shock. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry about us. She takes priority at the moment," I urge, "She's a civilian caught in this mess, and her parents are probably dead. You need to get her to safety, alright?"

Lenalee looks like she's about to argue further but eventually relents. She reaches out with her free hand and places it on my shoulder. "I promise, I'll come back."

I smile weakly. "I'll hold you to that."

As Lenalee takes off to carry the girl to safety, Allen wakes up.

"Cas!" he grips my arms, seeming unsure of what to say first. His mind is obviously still reeling. "Suman, he-His daughter…the Noah, because-She was…"

"I know; I saw it too," I assure him as I set him down on one of the spikes lining the open wound. "Stay here a sec; I'm going to talk to Suman."

"Cas, wait," Allen reaches out towards me but I evade his grasp as I fly a short ways up so that I'm eye level with Suman.

He hangs motionless within the clutches of his own corrupted Innocence.

"Suman, you are _not_ dying. Do you hear me?" I call to him, only answered by his gaping mouth spewing black fluid and his empty eyes.

I grit my teeth.

 _This is going to hurt_. I reach out with my tattered hands to try and pry him free, but sparks of white hot pain shoot throughout my body upon contact. Suman's scream mixes with my own as I rear back, my wings flapping frantically.

"Cas!" I hear Allen yell below me, but it's drowned out by Suman's bellowing.

"Who are you?!" he snarls as he looks at me with crazed, unseeing eyes. The blackened spittle spews from his mouth, flecks of it dotting my face.

"Suman, it's me: Cas," I try my best to retain his attention as he thrashes and shrieks with my gasp. "Don't you remember? You shook my hand when I first joined the Order. We had salad together."

"Curse you," Suman whispers.

I blink. "What?"

"Curse you. Curse you. Curse you. Curse you!" Sumans' voice grows louder and more frantic with each utterance until the words seem to blur together into a single sound of misery and hate. "CurseyouCurseyouCurseyouCurseyouCurseyou!"

"Suman!" yell over his screams, "Listen to me!"

"CURSE IT!" Suman shrieks as he thrashes around within his liquid cage, "God, man, all of it! ALL OF IT!"

Everything suddenly lurches forward, and I jump back to evade the Fallen One's bulk, flapping my wings frantically as it starts to surge forwards.

"Cas, we're moving," Allen calls from below me. "We-On no…"

I glance down at him as his voice trails off only to see him looking ahead with an expression of horror. I follow his gaze in time to see a small village breaking through the mountains and trees, and the Fallen One is heading straight for it.

I clench my teeth. "Fuck."

It feels more like its falling than flying towards the town, a ticking time bomb of pure destructive energy fueled by a malice of a corrupted, demonic kind that makes my Blood screech like a wounded animal inside my mind.

"Stop it, Suman," the noises are deafening, nearly drowning out my own words.

"Curse it! CURSE IT! CURSE IT! CURSE IT!"

"Please, Suman," Allen calls, but the creature ignores us both, the monster Suman has become just continues towards the town.

"Suman, please don't do this," I swoop down closer to him, looking at his striped, ashen face with blackened, overflowing eyes of darkened fluid. I try to see anything in them, but they look like twin abysses with not a shred of sympathy, empathy, anything within them that I can cling to as one last piece of humanity. "If this continues, that village will be destroyed. Do you really want that? Don't you remember your pledge as an Exorcist? To protect the innocent? Suman!"

"BURN IT ALL TO THE GROUND!" Suman's cry almost physically strikes me before something actually does.

With the man's cry, animalistic as his humanity continues to bleed out of him, the slimy tendrils shoot outwards once more and strike me right in the chest.

Something splinters under me as the pain shatters within me and the fragments stick inside my skin. I can't even scream as the air is ripped from my lungs.

My Blood wings dissipate

I think Allen yells my name, but I do hear it as everything surges around me, and I fall.

* * *

A/N: I couldn't end this installment without having them at least kiss once, even if they're aren't necessarily any romantic connotations behind it (not at first, anyways) Anyways, hope you enjoyed: leave questions and reviews if it tickles your fancy:)


	43. Chapter 43

From: Ella Unlimited  
Q: Oh boy. When you take us on ride, you really take us for a ride, huh? As if it's not enough to make the past few chapters emotionally tumultuous, you just have to go and make them kiss? As if Cas and Allen (and the readers, let's face it) don't suffer enough- let's just throw in a physical aspect of the relationship as well. (That I may or may not have literally reread 3 times. But that's besides the point.)  
Well, besides being the highlight of my week (I'm in nursing school, this is about the only non-textbook thing I get to read) this story just continues to grow in so many aspects, and I've really enjoyed getting to watch these characters and their relationships develop. (And not just Cas and Allen; I've enjoyed Lenalee and Lavi and even Kanda- you have a wonderful way of making each character just fit into your story so effortlessly.) You have no reason to feel worried or anxious over anything you've written- and I really applaud you for taking the time to let Cas and Allen kind of naturally fall into a relationship, I know I probably wouldn't have the patience!  
I'm really curious what you're going to be doing in the later chapters- how Allen feels about the kiss (because let's face it, the angst is too easy to NOT write), how Cas feels about the kiss (ANGST), how Tyki interjects himself into the dialogue later on (I'm envisioning some kind of weird 'Cas being held against her will' or 'Cas being blackmailed into going with him to save Allen/the group' or maybe even 'Cas getting separated by the group for outside circumstances and Tyki magically appearing from nowhere because why not?'), and when the heck Cas realizes who her father is.  
Any who, thanks for the lovely chapter! Have a good week!

A: Aww, I'm sorry I make you guys suffer. I hope it's worth it in the end;) Wow, I'm flattered you reread that part so many times (truth be told, I'd had that part written for weeks).  
I'm so, so happy that I was able to make your week with this, and props for studying so hard in nursing school! That's awesome:D I'm thrilled you enjoy all the characters interactions so much, that you enjoy reading about them as much as I enjoy writing about them because seriously, I love, love writing this story. Believe me, I really don't have the patience, I'm just trying to maintain my self-control.  
Yes, there will be angst, there will be SO MUCH angst. All of the angst! Angst for days, etc., etc.  
Well, Cas and Allen will be crossing paths with Tyki in a few chapters and it will be all kinds of messed up. As for Cas meeting her father, that will happen in the not too distant future…  
Have a good week as well! Thanks for the lovely review :D

From: xXChaoticOrderXx  
Q: Well, fuck. Didn't think that far ahead. Tyki already nearly killed her so I thought, what else can he do to her that she hasn't already felt? *Chants don't answer that, please don't answer that.* Well I guess I'll have to brace myself. *Holds horses, hat, and ass, because this is gonna be a bumpy ride.* Then I read the kiss this chapter and started to fangirl for 2.5 seconds and then remembered that this is not the time for that lol.

A: Yeah…You really don't want me to answer that. Well, I'm glad the kiss made you happy; it is meant to be a little ray of sunshine amidst this dark storm of pain.  
Make sure you have your seatbelt! ;)

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god  
You fucking WWHHHAAATTTT!?  
My God you - you you you D: I know I said that I love tortures, but this is cruel, man! You LITERALLY burn her face off, jeezus. And then it in the chest, that's gotta hurt a fucking lot.  
And Yey, they kissed! (While her face was falling apart hahahahaha *cough*)  
Nice chaps, you :D keep it up

A: Well, people get hurt a lot in D. Gray Man (like A LOT) Just keeping in theme;) The Innocence in Cas's Blood obviously reacts poorly to contact with a Fallen One's essence. Yeah, Cas is especially sensitive in her chest due to Innocence, so it probably hurt like a mother fucker  
Although, you think this is bad just wait until you see what Tyki does to her….  
I know right? How romantic lol

From: Waru Waru  
Q: *lowkey trying not to die*  
The only think I could think of as I read the last sentence: "FUCK, CAS, DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME NOW YOU LITTLE TALL BITCH."  
But then, I thought: "No, she can't die yet. She's the main character." But then I remembered that death isn't the only way to fuck my feelings up  
So... fuck.  
Well, yah. With Cas's rejection, this ark in general, and what just happened; all I need to feel better is for our dear Tyki to appear and make us all happy again! *laughs sarcastically*  
Oh, and that kiss. It made me happy - but only for a second. Then everything else came to stab my brain.  
On another note, making Cas react that way to the Fallen is more than clever. It's genius! I don't really know how to explain it, but I understand the logic behind it. I think.  
Also, has anybody elso compared that reaction to the fallen to an allergic reaction? Or is it just me and my craziness?  
Random interviewer: So, do you have any allergies?  
Cas: Well... I'm allergic to the Fallen.

A: I think Cas is too (sorry, that was mean) well, I wouldn't be too worried. This isn't the first time Cas has fallen off shit, or into shit, or on top of shit or shit's gone through her…Basically, she can bounce back from pretty much anything if given the time. Glad the kiss made you happy since the breaks have recently fallen off the pain train. Was 'stab my brain' an intended pun? (alright, I'll stop) Thanks! I'm glad it made at least some sense! Essentially, the Innocence in Cas's body is rejecting the Fallen One and since her Blood is everywhere in her body, it would affect her all over. No, you're the first one and it's not crazy, it's a good comparison. Thanks for the awesome review. Sorry about all the pain and lame jokes:P

From: I Love Calamity  
Q: Strigoi is also the name of the vampires in The Strain

A: Really? Well, I suppose that makes sense. That's cool;)

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: How can I NOT cry with this emotional freaking rollercoaster going on?

A: Fair enough. I prefer to look it as the pain train with no breaks.

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS AND ALLEN:

Cas: Can't we do this later? We are _seriously_ in the middle of something right now.

Me: Sorry, Cas; impeding Fallen One devastation isn't going to save you from this Q&A.

Cas: *groans*

Allen: I personally appreciate a quick break.

Me: Excellent! Now, first from xXChaoticOrderXx: "ANYWAY, I have, I guess, a series of questions for Cas (and then one follow up for Allen). Sparked by Cas's cross-dressing fantasy that was revealed last chapter, if given the chance would you do Allen's makeup? How would you do it? What would you use? Do you have a colour scheme in mind?"

Allen: Me? In _makeup_?

Me: Well, you do like the way Cas paints her face.

Allen: Yeah, she is pretty artistic. I like watching her….um.

Cas: *grasps his chin and turns his face towards her* You know, that's a very good question. My makeup in general tends to work with blacks and red. I'd probably do something similar for you: black, greys, maybe silver. We have almost the same skin tone, so I'd think it'd work. I probably wouldn't do as severe a wing on the eyeliner though as I usually do with me; I think a smoky eye would look good. I dunno, maybe a nude lip?

Me: They suggested a red lipstick to match his scar.

Cas: That _would_ look nice.

Allen: *grumbling* Before you were talking about putting me in a dress, now you want to put makeup on me. What am I? Your Barbie doll?

Cas: *scoops him up in a crushing hug* Of course you are, you adorable sugar muffin!

Allen: Cas, I can't breathe!

Cas: *lets him go*

Allen: I still don't get why you'd like me dressed all feminine or whatever.

Cas: Obviously because I've got a bit of a kink for it just like you've got a bit of a bondage kink, but look at it this way, Allen: you know I don't care what's between people's legs; as long as I like their face, might as well make a party of it.

Allen: *blushing horribly* Fair enough.

Me: What do I think about this? Well, I happen to LOVE drag and makeup and all that stuff (I tend to crossplay at conventions a lot) so I'm always down for it. I think Allen would pull makeup off quite nicely. He does have a _beautiful_ face. I mean, there was that one time when Komui's robot put makeup on everyone.

Cas: When was _that_?! I wasn't there for that.

Me: I cut it out for pacing reasons. Anyways, one question for Allen: "And Allen, what is your opinion on Cas's makeup, and are you at all opposed to trying some yourself, if given the choice?"

Allen: I like Cas's makeup a lot. She does a fantastic job with it. I used to think makeup was kind of dumb because all of Master's women put on way too much of it, but Cas's looks really nice. As for me trying it, I guess…but Cas would have to do it.

Cas: I always appreciate when someone recognizes one of my few accomplishments in life such as the perfect winged eyeliner or the jump split

Allen: You can do a jump split?!

Cas: I thought we talked about this

Me: "That's all from me! Looking forward to the next chapter, and arc (and q&a session)!" I'm happy to hear it ;). Now, one question from Waru Waru: "Cas, are you allergic to anything?"

Cas: The Fallen, I guess.

Me: I think they mean besides that.

Cas: Not really. Allergies come from the immune system attacking the body literally out of boredom, considering how much my immune system has to tackle on a daily basis, for instance making sure I don't get TB again or AIDS, there really isn't a possibility.

Me: Interesting. Now, at question from TitanOfStone.

Cas: Oh, this person again? Should I hide?

Me: Don't be so dramatic. Their question reads: "You finally kissed him! How does it feel, both of ya? Thanks for making Casallen shippers's dream comes true! (Even if the circumstance is bloody messy)"

Allen: So we DID kiss. I thought Suman's memories were making me see things.

Cas: I'd really hoped you wouldn't remember it. Let me just make it clear that I only kissed him to transfer my energy, like with Lenalee.

Allen: I'm afraid I can't really give you an answer. I don't really remember what happened.

Cas: He was moaning. Does that answer the question?

Allen: *blushing* I was…?

Cas: As for me, it was all the things it shouldn't have been: way, way too good.

Allen: What's that supposed to mean?

Cas: I've kissed a lot of people in my life, Allen. For one thing, you were easily in the top three in terms of best kisses I've ever had.

Allen: Really? Wait…Who's number one then?

Me: Tyki.

Cas: *flushes* N-No!

Me: On that note, let's get back to the story. Shall we?

* * *

Chapter 43: Bleeding Heart

* * *

I don't remember falling or hitting the water.

When everything comes back into clarity, all I see is darkness and bubbles rushing around me as I slowly sink downward.

There's a break and a shadow and something grabs my hand.

I inhale, a gasp catching in my throat, and I take in a mouthful of water as I'm pulled back up through the blackness. I break the water and collapse up onto the shower, coughing harshly as I crawl forward onto the bank on all fours.

There's a burning in my chest, like a fire spreading thickly throughout my entire body despite my soaking skin and clothing.

I retch, struggling to gulp big mouthfuls of air as my chest heaves and my arm shake, giving way as I fall onto my side into the damp sand, my entire form trembling as I continue to struggle for breath.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Cas?"

I roll back over, still wheezing. "A-Allen."

He opens his mouth, a question visibly poised on his tongue.

"I'm alright," I insist before he can ask it, quickly sitting up despite the action making the world pitch on its axis and create the feeling of a lump in my throat.

"Cas," Allen grabs my shoulders as my whole body heaves, struggling to maintain itself. My eyes waters as strands of my soggy hair fall in front of my eyes. Through the crimson strands, I make out the form of the Fallen One barreling through the air in a cloud of smoke and blinding light that slices through the rugged mountains lining the valley like a knife through hot butter.

The village lays in wait as the twisted behemoth streaks closer towards it, bursting with energy that's about to be unleashed upon it.

It's still very far up; I took quite a tumble.

We…

I look at Allen. "Allen, did you jump off the side of the Fallen One after me?"

"Um, yeah."

I look at him, unable to hide the awe I feel. I'm not sure what to say in response.

Before I can, the Fallen One bellows once more, alerting us to its dissent upon the unsuspecting humans. Screams of terror start to trickle up from the cluster of houses.

"We have to get moving," Allen declares, clambering to his feet. He holds out a hand. "Can you stand?"

"I think so." With some effort, I manage to get up as well. Allen grips my shoulder.

"Good. Now get to the village. Quick as you can. You need to evacuate it. Get everyone out."

I look at him. "What? What about you?"

"I'll handle the Fallen One. I'll try to slow it down for as long as I can. And Suman…I'll see if I can get through to him."

"N-No!" I cry, struggling to keep my voice even. "I'm not letting you take that thing on by yourself! I'm coming with you."

"Cas," Allen's grip tightens on my arm. "You can't even get close to that thing without getting hurt. If you truly want to help than get those people to safety. They'll die if you don't."

I open my mouth to protest.

"Go! We don't have much time."

I feel anxiety twisting in the pit of my stomach at the thought of leaving Allen, but I know that he's right. I'm no good to him here. With great effort, I turn from him and take off down the bank, sprinting towards the village as the Fallen One's shadow shrouds the entire area around me.

I can't help but look back as I near the trees, and I see Allen looking after me. When our eyes meet, he smiles slightly and raises his hand in a small wave.

It does little to comfort me, and only sees to increase the sinking feeling I already had.

Allen then turns around and walks to the edge of the lake we'd fallen into moments before as the Fallen One continues on past it, timing his next move.

As I look on, his arm activates and I'm almost overwhelmed as a thought occurs to me as I see him raise the gigantic grey-skinned clawed limb over his head.

"Allen!" I yell almost without thinking.

He looks towards me, confused.

"Allen, I-I kissed you!"

I see my words register in his eyes even from far away beginning with bemusement and then shock.  
"W-What?!"

"I kissed you!" I repeat, my face burning, "In Suman's mind, to break you out. I-I'm sorry, but we can talk about it later, just listen to me: it gave you a stamina boost." I hold up my own left arm, "Use it."

There's a million emotions swimming in Allen's eyes, but he resigns from expressing any of them at the moment as he nods. "Alright."

At least somewhat satisfied, I smile slightly in one final farewell before I turn and sprint off into the trees, trying to ignore the dread flooding my insides.

* * *

I only manage to make it a few paces before a stabbing pain slices through my chest, catching me completely off guard as all strength momentarily leaves me and I fall onto one knee amidst the trees. I grip my chest as I struggle to breath, eventually able to heave myself back to my feet.

I immediately start running again, despite the feeling like there's liquid fire in my veins.

 _Suman must've hit me harder than I thought._

Shaking of the notion, I urge my aching body to run faster, knowing that the Fallen One is right on my heels, like a dark storm cloud looming on the horizon as the sun slowly slips below the mountains, casting a shadow over the whole valley even denser than the stain of the corrupted Innocence.

Suman's Innocence is using his soul to try and sustain itself, unable to maintain a connection to its Accommodator. It's draining him all the way to an empty husk.

Allen's right. We don't have much time.

It feels like years before I finally reach the villagers. There is understandably a panic.

People are running out into the streets, standing and gawking in the middle of the roads as the horrible, twisted shape hovering in the sky and steadily drifting towards them: reducing mountains to rubble and trees to ash in bursts of white fire.

"W-What is that thing?"

"It's coming closer!"

"Everyone!" I scream as I break through the village limits, running and waving my arms as I sprint down the main road towards the crowd. "Please, listen to me! You have to leave. We have to evacuate this village immediately."

Everyone stares at me with mixed expressions of fear and confusion. I must have looked a sight in my singed and tattered clothing, sopping wet with wild hair spilling from its braid and a face full of wounds that are still trying to close in places.

"Who are you?" Someone asks.

Before I can respond, i hear Suman's scream rip through the landscape. I whip around to see flecks of lighting rippling under the Fallen One's skin. Second's later, the body erupts as light pours out from its limbless shouldesr like twin streams of ivory fire.

"Run!" I scream.

No one has to be told twice as the villager's scatter, shrieks and screams of terror mingle with the sounds of houses breaking apart as the light finds the village at last.

In my peripheral, I see a wall of fire slice through dozens of houses in a single shot, liquefying all inside.

I as well as several other people are blown off our feet from the sheer force of its impact. I struggle to stand up, wincing and my hand goes to my chest again as another surge of pain courses through it.

I struggle to stand. All around me is fire and screaming as people

I look on towards the other end of the town to see a break in the mountains, a pass that leads on to a beach and the river beyond.

A way out.

"Go! Get to the beach! Hurry," I grab a man trying to stand and pull him to his feet before shoving him forward, urging others around him as well. "Go! Go! Run, don't look back!"

It starts to catch on and people begin moving in that direction.

"Keep moving!" I yell as I weave my way through the disorganized thronged. "Don't look back, just go!"

Another column of light, houses are ripped apart like sandcastles by waves, people's lives are snuffed out like candles in the wind.

I'm thrown forward onto my face in the dirt. I sit up, breathing heavily to see the crowds have faltered in the wake of the devestation. "Keep going!" I yell, "Quick as you can! Run!"

After a moment, they continue on, faster more frantically than before.

I scramble to my feet, about to follow when something makes me pause.

"Daddy! Daddy, get up!"

My head snaps to my right, into the midst of the houses that had just been all but vaporized. One of the outliers still remains partially intact, through the rubble I can see a little girl crouched beside her father, who's lying unconscious under a broken beam.

"Daddy! Come on," the little girl sobs.

Close by, the Fallen One roars.

"Get back!" I scramble towards the pair, stumbling over the remains of the home as I approach the girl. She looks up at me, her tear-filled eyes wide as she shrinks back in fright.

"It's alright," I force a smile, "I'm going to help you Daddy."

The girl continues to stare up at me as I gently nudge her aside before approach the beam. I drop my knees beside the man partially buried underneath it, placing two fingers on his neck.

I feel a beat and breathe a sigh of relief.

I look back at the girl, "Your daddy's going to be fine, sweetheart."

A light flickers in her eyes as I turn and hook my fingers under the beam, hardening my Blood beneath them.

With a grunt, I heave the beam up as far as it can go, propping it on one shoulder as I strain, reaching down to drag the man out from under the fallen wood with my free hand.

Once he's clear, I let the beam fall in his wake before grabbing the man's arm and draping it around my shoulder. He groans but otherwise makes

I turn to the girl just as she screams.

I look at her, startled, before following her petrified gaze to see the Fallen One is looming over us.

"Let's go!" I snatch the girl's hand and take off, dragging her and her father along as we bolt down the main street after the rest of the villagers.

I'm shocked the creature doesn't follow us. I glance back to see the pale form of Suman is staring down at us, blackened eyes boring into me.

"Suman!" I yell.

The former Exorcist screams, writhing in its prison as more of his life is sucked from his soul in bursts of light and crackling electricity.

I can see the energy building and will myself and the girl to run faster, hoping my body doesn't give out again as we near the mountain pass.

The Fallen One doesn't follow us. As we near the mountain pass, there's a noise like a great thunderclap that shakes the entire valley.

"Look!" One of the villagers ahead of us point in our wake. I look back again in time to see a monstrous claw, glowing bright green and rippling with energy slam into the Fallen One, pinning the mountain-sized being into the side of a cliff.

"What's happening?" A murmur sweeps through the crowd, "Has the monster been captured?"

I look on at the hand, miles long and miles high ensnaring the corrupted Innocence.  
"Allen…" I breathe.

I then turn to one of the other villagers silently looking on as we reach the crowd.  
I pass the unconscious man, "Take him." I then urge the girl after them, "Go with your father."

She looks up at me, "What about you?"

"I'm fine. There's something I have to do," I reply, trying to keep my voice light.

She nods, a kind of understanding that only kids seem to have written on her face as she hurries after the man helping her father.

I cast one last glance at the retreating villagers, making their way towards the river and safety beyond the valley before turning and plunging back into the chaos of the now destroyed

I push forward a few more paces before my wings tear through my back and unfold, lifiting me off the ground mid-run. I flap them as I gain momentum and take off over the destroyed homes and towards the decimated the trees and mountains.

My wings appear darker in the dimming light of dusk as I streak through the burning air, feeling it scalding my lungs, and head back towards the now immobilized creature.

I follow the source of the light shaping itself into a limb, erratic energy crackling like emerald wild fire as it burns against the burning white body of the Fallen One.

I spy Allen standing in a clear, the energy erupting from his arm in a torrent that seems almost beyond his control. He looks so small compared to his Weapon; I'd never seen it emanating this much power before.

Is this because of the stamina boost that kiss gave him?

I cross the trees in no time, dropping down at the edge of a clearing, and folding my wings.

"Allen!" I run, stopping short at the tree line, holding a branch to find purpose.

My yell is almost drowned as Suman screams again, thrashing around within the weeping blue wound he's entrapped within.

"Suman!" Allen calls out to him, "You still have the desire to live, don't you? You still have those you want to see again!"

What remains of Suman actually seems to respond to this. I think back to that little girl with the brown pigtails lying sick in her hospital bed.

As I look on, tears start to leak from the former Exorcists eyes, real human tears.

"I saw a girl in your memories," Allen continues, "Your daughter, right? She was sick, and you couldn't pay for her treatment, so you joined the Order to get the money to help her. You didn't want to got the Order; you didn't want to be an Exorcist, because than you'd never see your family! But you had to help your daughter. You didn't have a death wish, you wanted to return to your family alive or all that you all went through would have bene for nothing!"

Suman looks down at him, emotions swimming in his eyes as the tears flow faster.

"That's why you did what you did. You didn't want to die for the Order; you just wanted to see your family again. You'd do anything, even give information to the enemy!"

 _Spare me, please! I'll do anything you ask. Anything! I don't want to die. I just want to go. I just want to see my family again!_

"You threw away your honor and your friends because you wanted to live for your family, Suman!" Allen yells.

I couldn't move; I'm in complete awe of Allen. That kind of boundless compassion existing in a person that has endured so much hardship, that has every right to hate the world for everything its done to him. And yet he doesn't; he does everything in his power not to.

Even me, an empath who feels Suman's twisted love and wrathful emotions and understands him, couldn't help but feel a twinge of hatred towards him for putting the Noah on our scent and having them hunt us down in Barcelona, even though I know that it was partially my fault.

As I look on, the energy from Allen's arm fluctuates, the whole form of it trembling as it struggles to maintain its shape.

"Allen, your arm!" I yell as Suman screams again.

"Cas, it's okay," I hear Allen call back despite the strain, "I just-I just need to separate Suman's Innocence from him."

"What?!"

"I have no choice! He'll lose an arm, but he'll live. I have to believe that he wants to live!"

I hesitate, but don't respond. I look on, overwhelmed.

"Innocence, activate!" With a yell, Allen surges his power forward, the entire valley almost seems to be consumed in the light of his Weapon as it bears down against the Fallen One.

Then it breaks.

The light splits apart as everything goes deftly silent, the pieces scattering the wind like ripped pieces of paper, falling back to earth like shards of glittering glass. Allen's arm remains, small and blackened as its owner stares down at it in shock.

 _Crack!_

I hear the noise and then Allen screams.

It's the most horrible, horrific sound that tears me apart in a pain that an Akuma or Noah could never cause.

"Allen!" I'm running towards him before I even realize it, tearing across the clearing as Allen falls to his knees, screaming and shrieking in horrific agony as his arm starts to shake uncontrollably despite his attempts to hold it down. Flecks of light splinter out from the arm, fragmented shards of uncontrollable energy erupting like blood spurting from a gaping wound.

Allen throws his head back and just keeps screaming.

It feels like an eternity before I reach him.

"Allen!" I throw my arms around his torso, attempting to hold him. He goes limp in my grasp, blacking out for a second before he snaps back as I lay him down on the ground, attempting to pin the arm in place it continues to tremble.

I struggle to hold him steady while light continues to pour from the damaged Weapon.  
"Allen, deactive your arm."

"I-I can't!" Allen sobs, thrashing around before screaming again as his arm twists wildly, seemingly uncontrollably. "It-It won't-Augh!" his words are lost in more pained sobs.

I look down at the arm, immediately noticing the piece of Innocence embedded on the back of his palm and where all the light is pouring from.

My insides twist when I realize what I have to do.

I stick my hand in front of his face.

"Bite. Hard as you can," I grit my teeth in frustration when Allen hesitates, "Do it!"

After a moment, Allen closes his mouth around my palm, his teeth digging into my skin.

I grimace as I turn back to his fragmented Weapon, zeroing in on the shard of Innocence proper.

"I'm sorry about this, Allen." With that, I slam my fist down onto the fragment. It splinters beneath my fingers as Allen's body convulses horribly and he screams in pure agony, his teeth digging into my hand so much it draws Blood.

After a second, the light fades from the Weapon and it deactivates. It looks awful: the dry skin is blackened and swollen, falling apart in many places with a horrible burned smell emitting from the flesh. Allen gives a distressed moan as I pull my Bleeding hand from him. He's shaking all over and tears are pouring thickly from his eyes.

"I-It hurts…It h-hurts."

"Shhh, I know. I know," I whisper soothingly, reaching out to brush away the tears.

Allen's arm starts to twist, the fingers elongating and shriveling at the ends like the branches of a dead tree. He throws his head back with another bloodcurdling scream, arching his body against the ground as his arm continues to tremble violently.

"Allen!" I grab his shoulders, trying to hold him in place as he thrashes around.

"Cas!" he looks as me, tears still streaming down his face, "Please…M-Make it stop!"

Then he goes into shock. His whole body convulsing and kicking about wildly as he yells in horrific pain, sweat and tears streaming down his face.

"Allen, Allen!" I press my hands into his chest, holding him in place least his thrash about and hurt himself even further.

He whimpers, looking like he's struggling between not screaming again and not passing out. He looks at me, his eyes pleading as more tears pool in them. "C-Cas, help m-me."

"Alright, it's going to be alright," I seem to be saying this as much for myself as for him as I continue to stroke the sides of his face, leaning down to press my cool forehead against his sweaty brow. "I've got you. It's okay."

Allen takes a shaking breath that tapers out into a sob. I rear back as I look down at him, his face is so pale and clammy. He's in so much pain.

"I'm going to take a look at your arm now, okay?"

Allen bits his lip, squeezing his eyes shut before eventually nodding his head.

I obviously have to gentle. This thing is sensitive enough already without all of the loose Innocence energy tearing it in half.

I bend down before Allen's arm, tentatively reaching to more closely examine the wounded flesh.

Behind me, the Fallen One suddenly bellow.

I whip around in time to see it manage to detach itself from the crater it had been buried within the mountainside.

Its groans turn to roars, and I know what's coming as the energy builds.

I don't even think. I snatch Allen up and bolt for the trees as everything behind us goes white.

I feel the heat against the back of my neck, feel the crackle of the trees exploding around us. I throw myself on top of Allen, pinning him between myself and a tree, shielding him from the light as it floods everything around us.

The madness dies as quickly as it comes, leaving blackened soot and

I look down at Allen, who's gasping beneath me.

Gently, I prop him up against the trunk. He winces, gasping as another yell of pain builds in his throat. He bits his lip.

I cup the sides of his face. "Allen, look at me."

He opens his eyes, and a lingering tear trickles down his left cheek, bleeding into his scar.  
"Cas, it-it won't stop."

"It's going to. I'm going to fix it," I assure him.

Allen nods before he throws his head back, a strangle cry escaping his lips as he arches against the tree.

I grab his other hand, steadying him with my free arm as he crushes my fingers in his uninjured grasp. I glance down at his left hand under my grasp. The arm is heavily swollen. I think its building with fluid.

Something burst. A lot of things probably burst.

Allen squirms under me, whimpering under the stifling pressure and pain.

I grit my teeth as I slowly draw back and tug off my tatter glove. I put a finger in my mouth and bit into it. Blood erupts in my mouth, but something tastes off about it. There's a sour flavor that makes me yank the digit from between my lips with a gag.

I choke, staring down in horror as I look down at the blackened fluid seeping from the small cut.

No…It must just be the lack of light. Fumbling frantically, I stick my free hand into my pocket and pull out my lighter.

I flick the match and hold it before the wound.

My heart sinks. Black.

My Blood is coming out black.

Terror sparks in the pit of my stomach, entangling my insides to the point that I almost can't breathe. I turn from Allen, my hand tearing at my cloak and shirt, ripping them apart to look down at my chest.

What I see makes my Blood go cold. Across my reinforced rib is a large crack that runs all the way through to my Innocence heart, where a faint green glow can be seen rippling beneath the hardened bone.

I gasp, clapping a hand over my mouth.

 _How could-How could this...? It must have happened when Suman struck me._

"Cas…?" Allen calls out weakly.

I look back at him, feeling a painful constriction of my insides that makes me want to scream and throw up simultaneously.  
"Oh Allen, I don't know what to do."

* * *

A/N: Woot! Woot! Powered through my writer's block. I went to a five hour opera last night and was really not in a good frame of mind for this. Regardless, it happened in spite of it all, and I hope you enjoyed. Leave a review on your way out, and I hope all your Americans have a wonderful Thanksgiving:D


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: This chapter was a long, hard struggle, but I persevered and it's three o'clock in the morning!  
Jesus. *Blows a kiss* Goodnight, everybody!

* * *

From: Keelan1210  
Q: Oh, man. Oh, man. Oh, man! I'm away for a couple of months, busy with other stuff, and I come back to catch up on a shit ton of chapters, and this is how the most recent one ends?! These last 15 or so chapters have been a friggin rollercoaster! Seriously, I'm surprised Cassandra's hair hasn't turned as white as Allen's with all this stress and angst.

A: Welcome back! I hope you've been enjoying the latest chapters despite how tumultuous they can be;) Cas actually has a line about that later on. Way to predict the future:D

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: I had exam this morning. And guess what I did -  
Opening and check on your story and OH MY FUCKING GOD Poor Allen.  
Cas dropped into the water and Allen jumped in... Strike x1. Cas told Allen she had kissed him, strike x2. Cas being happy (?) in the most approprate of time (?) strike x3 - Thank you for the fan service, my maan! :D  
Her blood turning black and her chest exposed, though is that some kind of... Promination of something TERRIBLE? I dunno, but from the looks of things, I think you're deep in shit this time - Both you and Cas :p  
Thanks for tis great work o' art, and keep it up!

A: Well, I hope this made up for having an exam; happy to help;) Fanservice is needed at times like this tbh. Your premonition is probably correct…We are all in a lot of deep shit as to be expected if canon events are any indication. Hang on to your hats.  
"A work of art"?! You make me blush! Thanks so much:D

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: this is not something one should read while ill, because I don't think my nose and throat can handle all the crying...

A: Oh, you're sick! So am I! I hope this perked you up a bit at least. Feel better *extends metaphorical tissue*

From: Oz  
Q: Well shit, Talk about a cliffhanger. What a dread inspiring chapter this is...well shit is all that I can say. Great chapter by the way, keep up the good work!

A: "Well shit" is about all you can say quite frankly. Thanks so much, and I sure will:D

* * *

QUESTSIONS FOR CAS AND ALLEN:

Cas: I suppose it's best to have a little time to figure something out.

Allen: Did I hear that right? Are you actually _happy_ to do a Q&A?

Cas: Sarcasm is unbecoming of you, Allen Walker.

Me: That's enough, you two. Now, on to the questions. First from Keelan1210: "Dear Cassandra and Allen: Cassandra, are you using hair dye?"

Cas: *puts hand over chest in mock hurt* I am insulted you would suggest such a thing! My hair is one hundred percent authentic, thank you very much *flips it over her shoulder* As a matter of fact, according to my grandmother, I'm the first woman born in her family line in several generations to not have blonde hair. You know that both she and my mother have blonde hair, after all.

Allen: Way to be different.

Cas: It's kind of what I'm about.

Me: And the other question is for Allen: "Allen, would you still think of Cassandra as hot if her hair did turn white? You have mentioned before that you love her red hair, after all."

Allen: *flushes* Well, I _do_ like Cas's hair a lot but I think she'd look amazing with any hair color quite frankly.

Cas: Oh, you are a treasure! *grabs his cheeks and pinches them* Seriously, it's no wonder women lose their minds over you!

Allen: They do? How do you know that?

Cas: I've been on the internet.

Allen: Wait, seriously? *makes a grab for my laptop*

Me: Hey, hey! *holds it out of reach* There are still questions from TitanOfStone.

Cas: *grabs Allen's hand* Run!

Me: Get back here, you two!

*Several minutes later*

Cas: If this is something embarrassing and sexual, I'm going to put a tentacle through your computer screen.

Allen: When did you become such a prude? Sex is one of your favorite topics.

Cas: Not like this! This is weird!

Me: Chill out, it's Tokyo Ghoul related, actually. "Have you read Tokyo Ghoul:re to the lastest chaps yet? If not skip this question - what would you do if Allen turns into Kaneki in his glorious One-Eyed King position? I mean, Allen's got the hair and the eye. Well, minus the sadistic tendencies."  
Admittedly, I haven't read much of the Tokyo Ghoul manga, I've just seen all of the anime, so we can't exactly answer the first question.

Cas: It doesn't sound good no matter what it is. I think if something like that happened to Allen, I'd be distraught.

Allen: Really?

Cas: You act so surprised. You are my best friend, right? If you ever got taken over by some kind of evil influence, it would break my heart. And that's a feat!

Me: *under breath* Oh no.

Cas: What?

Me: Nothing! Next question: "What type of Kagune and Kakuja you think you'd have, Cassandra-tama? :v Same question for you, Allen!"

Cas: Hmm, that's a good question. Considering the versatility and size of my Blood tentacles, I'd say I'd have a Rinkaku like Rize and Kaneki as that's very similar. As for what kind of Kakuja, I think I'd be like Kaneki: he was one of my inspirations after all. Just…maybe with less centipedes.

Me: *Shivers* I'm never getting over that, am I? What about you, Allen?

Allen: As for me, I suppose I'd have a Koukaku that's based around the arm, like my Innocence. You know, like that French rapist guy.

Me: Tsukiyama, and he's not French.

Allen: Yeah him.

Cas: As for a Kakuja, I think Allen's would take the form of something like Yamori's as it's also centered around the arm.

Allen: Yeah, you're probably right.

Cas: Well, is that it?

Me: Just one last thing: "Good luck on your god-fucking-dammit journey, both of you ;)"

Allen: Uh, thanks I guess.

Cas: We're going to need it.

Me: With that, let's get back into it.

* * *

Chapter 44: Howl

* * *

Control yourself.

For Allen's sake, control yourself.

I had to set myself back into that place, that place I'd been in before so many times. In times of battle, injury and death, when others couldn't go on and I needed to step up and take charge.

Like before when Allen had been injured in the snow while searching for-what was it now?-some type of Leaf? It was such a long time ago.

Regardless, I needed to find that place again; I couldn't think about this emotionally, only practically, medically.

Beside me, Allen whimpers. "C-Cas, please…M-Make it stop." He grits his teeth as his arm continues to tremble violently, the skin eroding. He gasps, convulsing once as his back arches against the tree behind him.

"Hey, hey," I quickly grip his uninjured shoulder to steady him, "It's alright. I'm right here."

Allen opens his eyes and looks up at me. "Cas, what-what's wrong?"

I suppose the issue is written all over my face.  
I sigh, "I'm sorry, Allen, but I-I can't heal you right now."

Allen blinks in shock, tears still pooling in his eyes.  
"C-Cas, what h-happened?" As he speaks, he reaches out with his uninjured hand and brushes against my still partially unbuttoned shirt.

I grit my teeth. "D-Don't worry about it. I'm still going to take care of you. Alright?"

Allen bites his lip but nods. "Okay."

I then lie him flat on his back on the ground, taking a deep breath as I move to the other side of his body where his Innocence arm is more accessible. The arm is completely destroyed, scorched as though in a fire, and if I'd had a weaker stomach, I might have been sick at the sight of it.

Shaking my head as I try to clear it, I yank off my other glove as I bend down to examine the most obvious issue which is Allen's left shoulder that appears to be very swollen.

Tentatively, I reach out and lightly press my fingers against the rough, hardened skin.

"Ah!" Allen jerks away from me at the unwanted touch.

"Hold still," I urge, "I think a bursitis burst in the shoulder; the pain is caused by fluid pressing against your bones and muscles."

I place both hands down on his shoulder and press down lightly.

Allen screams.

"Easy, easy," I grip him as Allen sobs.

"Just make it stop! I'm begging you."

"Okay, it's okay," I try to sooth him, my hand going up to trail through his hair while the other one fishes around in the pockets of my cloak.

After a minute, I pull out a small black flask: my emergency stash of alcohol.

I pull back from Allen and hold up my right pointer finger; after a moment, blackened Blood feathers out to wrap around the digit and hardens into a thin spiked claw with an almost invisible tip.

Allen jerks his head towards me just as I unscrew the lid of the flask and douse the covered finger in stark fluid.  
"What are you doing?"

"Improvising," I reply grimly. "Normally this is done with a hypodermic needle, but since we don't have one of those, this is the best I can do."

Allen gulps. "P-Please…"

"Shhh, it's going to be okay," I whisper.

I exhale, trying to control my emotions as I press the sharpened finger against Allen's left shoulder.

He whimpers.

I hold out my other arm. "Do you want to bite my hand again?"

Allen looks down at it.  
"Can I-Can I just hold it?" he asks quietly.

How delicate his voice sounds nearly breaks even my hardened Innocence heart.  
My expression softens.  
"Of course."

I then turn my attention back to my makeshift 'needle' as Allen crushes my fingers in his free hand. It tightens almost impossibly further as my finger breaks the skin.

Allen shrieks, thrashing around so it's all I can do to hold him steady least I hit an artery.  
I clench my jaw as I press the needle further in until I finally hit the built up fluid. Allen chokes, going stiff as a loud sob rips through his throat.

Tears spring into his eyes as he cries out desperately.  
"S-Stop!"

"Almost done," I insist as I then pull the needle out in one fluid motion.

Allen gasps, the pain almost too sharp and brief for it to register.

I move the fluid around within my finger as my Blood overlaps it before disintegrating it entirely as its swallowed by my Innocence.

I glance back at Allen. He's gasping, his chest heaving as sweat beads across his brow.  
"Cas?" he whispers. "I-I think I broke two of your fingers."

I glance down as he unfolds his hand from my own to see that two of my own digits are somewhat misshapen.  
"Oh, yeah you did."

"Cas, S-Suman…."

"Don't worry about him right now."

"N-No! Look!"

I look to see that Allen is fixed on something over my shoulder. I glance behind me in time to see Suman's Fallen One wrench itself free of the mountains and with a loud roar, barrel through the air over our heads, past the destroyed trees and towards the village now emptied but it's inhabitants still within reach, racing towards the river.

Screams rise up from the distant waterfront, and the terror in them sends a shiver through me.

"Shit," I say through gritted teeth as I stagger to my feet, gazing after the Fallen One. I can see a strange kind of tearing begin to form at the edges of the Fallen One's twisted form: a white chaotic fire that burns almost too brightly to look at and growing stronger all the time.

Realization dawns on me, and it feels like a heavy rock slides down into the pit of my stomach.

"Suman's soul is being swallowed by his Innocence," I breathe, "He doesn't have much time left." I whip back around towards the East where the coast and Guangzhou had all but been swallowed by the dark velvet of encroaching night.  
"Where is Lenalee? She should be back by now. It didn't take us that long to come here from the waterfront. I could really use an extra set of hands right now."

Allen can't fight anymore. I feel slightly heavy as I drop down to my knees beside him.

"So it's come to this," I whisper as I unwrap my tie from my collar, the red tie Allen had given me. "Here." I then press it into Allen's unbroken hand.

He looks down at it, his eyes widening.  
"C-Cas, what are you-?"

I smile grimly as I stand up. "I'm the only one, Allen. I have to end this."

"N-No!" The desperation in Allen's voice tears through me as he reaches out and grabs my arm as I start to turn from him. "You can't! You can't be anywhere near Suman. You mustn't, Cas!"

I look back down at him. "I have to, Allen. You can't fight anymore. Just stay here and wait for Lenalee. I'll be back."

Allen doesn't seem to be listening to me, he just keeps shaking his head as more tears trail down his cheeks.

But they're tears of a different kind of pain.

He reopens his eyes and looks up at me as they gleam in the pale light of the rising moon.  
"Please don't leave me."

The world seems to pitch at his words, the despair in them making me feel week at the knees. My resolves cracks somewhat as I slowly sink back to my knees, my own hand going to clasp over Allen's that's gripping my arm like a vice.

The way he's looking at me: I see all the words that are passing unspoken across his face in that phenomenon that allows me to read Allen Walker like a book. Maybe I should feel afraid, maybe I should feel pain in this moment, but I don't.

I never really understand what my emotions are trying to do at times like this, but all I think when I look at Allen in that moment is how much I love him.

And that I'm doing this for him.

I glance down to see that Allen had let my tie fall from his grasp, the scarlet silk having pooled on the ground beside him. I pick it up and take his hand, slowly, systematically wrapping the soft material over and over around his right hand.

Allen looks at me, opening his mouth with a visible plea poised on his lips, but I lean forward before he can speak it, pressing my own mouth to the spot behind his ear.

I inhale his scent and feeling his ivory hair tickle my face as I utter in a voice that is barely a whisper in his ear.  
"I promise I will do everything in my power to get back to you."

Allen gasps quietly, his voice sounds raw from all the screaming and crying.

I can't allow myself to dwell on it as I pull myself from him, a slow, hardened process as I peel my hand from his grasp. While I get to my feet and turn from him, I feel like there's invisible chains binding me to him, that I can't hope but remain at his side, the binds of how deeply I care for him tethering me to him.

My feet feel sluggish as I move away from the tree, picking up speed the farther I go. I break into a run, the scorched, skeletal remains of the forest streaking around me as I unfurl my now black Blood wings and kick up from the ground, lifting off the surface of the earth and soaring up into the sky towards the Fallen One.

The large headless body has stopped dead just above the village. It's form flickers like a candle in the wind, blurring in and out of focus before the power finally fluctuates and explodes outward, casting everything in a burning white fire.

I shield my eyes, nearly blinded as I'm knocked back by the force, flapping my wings vigorously in an attempt to stay in the air.

I slowly lower my hands just as Suman's scream tears through the night air in the wake of his Innocence's destructive Innocence. His pain tears through me, like Allen's had.

I'm rushing towards him without a second thought.

I can see him still embedded within the creature's weeping heart. He's screaming and thrashing through his submersion, his body rippling with agonizing energy as his form withers before my eyes, his skin thinning to the point that I can see the bones beneath.

I admittedly hesitate upon reaching the great creature. I take a deep breath.  
 _Okay, it hurt a little less when I used my Blood._

With this thought, I extend my Blood outwards from my arms, grimacing at the sight of the blackened fluid, looking even darker in the light of the Fallen One. They each wrap around one of the protrusions dangling outward from the great creature's bulk.

My whole body goes stiff as the pain shoots up my extensions until it reaches me, shooting right through to my heart.

I gasp, the pain burning through me like acid before both my wings and tendrils give out, and I fall in mid-flight.

However, I manage to catch myself on one of the Fallen One's lower spikes. I shriek as it burns through the remains of my glove, and I almost slacken my grip, but I strengthen my resolve.

I grit my teeth as I struggle to hold on, my eyes watering and my vision going fuzzy. I shake my head, trying to keep myself from blacking out as the pain continues to course through me in waves.

I give a yell of frustration, feeling hot Blood trickling from my eyes. I gasp, leaning my head against the arm gripping the Fallen One. In spite of everything, I can't help but snicker quietly.

"Y-You think you have me beat?" I stammer, straining through the torment, "This pain-This pain is nothing compared to the agony of losing Emma or telling Allen 'no'." I yell in a mixture of frustration and hurt as I thump my chest, striking the crack in my ribs, "You stupid heart! For once in my life, let's work together!"

With that, I swing my other arm to join the first in the burning fire of the Fallen One to begin climbing up the side of its body.

It's a long haul: my hands are bloody and falling apart before long. Around me, the Fallen One's form is crumbling: flecks of its flesh are breaking apart, scattered into the wind before disintegrating like sparks from a fire.

Suman doesn't have much time. His Innocence, without something to sustain it, is desperately sucking energy from his very soul. Soon he will be nothing but a burned-out husk.

It feels like an eternity before I reach him; the flames of the Fallen One's body are higher here, breaking away piece by torturous piece.

Suman drifts in the center of the azure soup, the hot, frothy liquid pouring out in gushes as his soul is swallowed. His eyes stare blankly, but one of them flickers to me as I approach, crawling on my stomach as the heat of the creature burns through my clothes.

"S-Suman," I gasp.

He looks at me, a spark of realization lighting in his faded eyes.  
"E-Exorcist…"

"That's right, I'm an Exorcist," I reply, straining as I try to move closer to him. My whole body feels numb as the liquid fire surrounding me laps at my exposed skin, creating a film of pain around me that takes all of my self-control to shut out. I continue to focus on Suman, "Do you remember? We met once before-almost a year ago now. You shook my hand, and we ate salad together. Don't you remember?" I smile slightly, "I'm Cas Williams."

Suman continues to look at me.  
"C-Cas…?

"That's right. And you're Suman Dark, Exorcist of the Black Order, and you don't have much time left," I continue as I crawl closer to him until I'm but an arm's length from him. I can see it clearly now, all the thin little tubes running under his translucent skin, alongside the bone, white light pouring from them, almost too bright to look at as Suman's very essence is consumed and absorbed only to be blasted back out again in a useless expulsion.

"Die…"

I look at Suman, look at his pale eyes that glisten with tears. Despite the mantle of his humanity being stripped from him, despite no longer looking like the tall, slender, dark-eyed man with slicked back black hair that had sat across from me in the dining hall during one of my earliest Order days, I still say that shard of humanity that lingered in his system.

He'd clung to it all this time.

"That's right, I'm dying," Suman declares as though he's just now realized it. "I don't have much time left, but I'm sure this monster will disappear as well."

As he speaks, a single tear trails down his cheek.

"I'm not going to let that happen," I declare, flexing my fingers as I speak and nearly sliding back down the Fallen One's chest as I momentarily try to regain feeling in my fingers before gripping the creature's skin again. "If you die now, then all of this will have been for nothing! You were willing to betray the Order, your friends and everything that you stood for as an Exorcist so you could see your family again. You daughter! The whole reason you became an Exorcist was so she would be safe, wasn't it?"

Suman gapes at me. Another tear falls.

I soften somewhat, shaking my head. "Look, I don't have a daughter or a dad, but I understand. Honestly, there's a part of me that wants to hate you for what you did, because your actions caused so many people to die and so much suffering for me, but I can't blame, not for everything and not for this. Suman, my Innocence shows me what you feel and why you've done what you've done. I don't think it would do that if it didn't wish to abandon you in the moment. Don't you understand? You can't give up, not now."

Before Suman can respond, everything around us suddenly shakes as the creature drops drastically in midflight before slowing sinking as more and more of the Fallen One's makeup comes away around us, scattering like ashes in a storm.

I cry out, which grows only louder when I grip the skin tighter to try and find purchase which in turn incites more pain.

"You can't give up, Suman!" I gasp, "Allen's right. You do want to live, if you didn't, you wouldn't have abandoned your position as an Exorcist in the first place. If you still want to see your family, than you must live!"

"A-Allen?" Suman croaks.

I smile sadly. "Yeah, Allen. He's an Exorcist too; I think you met him once, but maybe you don't remember. He's my best friend, and I love him to pieces." I laugh slightly, "Everything he believes in, I've come to believe in too: a destroyer who saves. I won't let him down, and he means the world to me."

With a great amount of effort that sends another wave of fire crashing through me, I heave myself forward and reach out towards Suman with a Bloodied, shaking hand, "I save, and my Innocence saves, and right now the only reason why I have the will to be up here, I have to believe, is because my Innocence still wants to save you! Please, let me do that, Suman."

Suman looks at me, the tears shining in the light of his dying body as his essence is slowly ripped away around us. After a moment, he slowly, minutely nods.

I grin despite everything. "Okay, I'm going to separate your Innocence from you." I then turn my attention to the frothy soup bubbling up from the wound that Suman is half-submerged in. Within its murky depths, I can just make out a faint, familiar green glow that matches the light thrumming in my chest.

Suman's Innocence.

I swallow. "Well, here goes nothing." With that, I plunge my arm into the fluid up to the elbow.

Break. It breaks and suddenly I can't feel anything anymore. Liquefied, instantly liquefied. Reaching for something with nothing. The torrent within me is too much to handle, and I fall. I let go this time, and I fall.

The unforgiving air breaks apart around me; I'm too numb to scream. I just fall.

Feeling explodes back into me, and Allen's scream snaps me back into clarity. A gasp catches in my throat as my head snaps up, riddled with whiplash. I'm shaking all over, sensations stacking on top of each other. It takes longer than usual to process what had happened.

I look up to see that Allen has snagged me on the end of his injured left arm, just barely gripping the edge of my sleeve.  
He's gasping through a clenched jaw, trying to maintain himself as he holds on to the edge of the Fallen One slowly sinking around us.

Also my arm's missing again: great spurts of ebony fluid erupt from the destroyed shoulder that's melted and misshapen as the only remnants of the limb.

"Allen! What the fuck are you doing?" I scream when I regain my bearings.

He looks down at me, giving me a pained smile, "Saving your life. What's it look like?"

"Let go of me," I demand. He obliges after a minute as I quickly wrap my arms around his waist to keep from falling. I grip him tightly as I shimmy up along his body until I'm eye level.  
I glare at him. "Why don't you ever listen to me?"

"I do listen to you. I'm just not finished yet. There's still a bit of fight

I blink at him dubiously, but am not given time to formulate a respond as a great burst of energy suddenly erupts from the crumbling Fallen One directly above our heads. The force of the blast nearly knocks us out of the air, scattering my thoughts so it's all I can do to keep hold of Allen, coiling one arm and several tendrils of Blood around him in order to remain stable.

He gives a sharp yell of pain as his arms knocked aside and I quickly expel more tentacles around the mutilated limb to act as a splint in order to avoid anymore unwanted movement.

Allen gaps, struggling to keep us both clinging to the Fallen One's girth.

I glance down to see we're dangling rather precariously with the ground grow steadily closer all the while below us.

I hold onto Allen even tighter. This ship is sinking fast and we don't have a life boat.

"Cas," Allen redirects my attention, "We need to get to Suman and pull him out. There's no time left, this creature's falling apart."

I nod. "Right. Lemme just-"

"No, don't," I pause in removing myself from him, looking at him incredulously. "It's better if you hang onto me instead of touching the Fallen One directly."

My eyes narrow. "So, we're going to shimmy up this disintegrating chest demon like a couple of frogs fucking?"

"Basically."

I sigh in resignation. "Well, this day couldn't get any weirder."

Allen then proceeds a one-handed spider monkey climb up along the underside of the Fallen One with my hanging on for dear life and occasional balance support, lending my own left hand when I cam while the nonexistent other does little more than Bleed everywhere.

The chest area is the most turbulent: the energy burst up like geyers along a plane, great spurts of crackling blue energy that burn my eyes and singes my skin.

"C-Cas!" Suman's broken cry is akin to a man being strangled and just inches from death.

"Hey, Suman; I'm back!" I call in an attempt to be reassuring, "And I brought Allen with me."

Suman sobs quietly; I can see the fear in his clouded eyes.

It tears through me as I finally manage to crawl off Allen and sit up on all fours-or three rather-next to him before the great chest wound that Suman is buried within.

"His Innocence is submerged in this thing," I say to him, gesturing to the faint glow beneath the rippling soup.

He nods just as the creature lurches again. There's a column of light around us now and second after second more of the Fallen One breaks away to rejoin the current like chunks of sand falling off an island and into the sea.

"We have to hurry," Allen declares. He glances down at his arm, and I hear him swallow.

"Allen, don't-!"

"Innocence, activate!"

Light explodes out from his shoulder and ripples down to the shard in his arm. Allen throws his head back with a blood curdling scream as his arm ripples out to a warped version of its clawed form: haggard and misshapen with a torrent of corrupted energy breaking it apart, reforming it, only to tear it to pieces all over again.

Allen falls forward as he struggles to hold the limb aloft, groaning in pain as sparks of energy leap up from the distorted parts.

"Allen!" I rush forward, my tentacles encircling him, some attempt to hold him up while others encircle his arm.

"I-I'm alright," Allen gasps, choking back tears as he presses forward, folding his hands to the best of his ability into claws.

Suman gawks at him, in awe.  
"A-Allen…"

He looks up at him, clenching his jaw as he tries to swallow the agony coursing through him.  
"S-Suman, I'm going to separate you from the Innocence in your right arm; at the same time, Cas is going to pull you out of there. Alright?"

Suman looks between us, eventually following me as I wordlessly move closer to the pool, reaching out my remaining arm.  
"You can't move your arms, so use your mouth," I almost order, "Bite. Hard as you can."

After a long moment of hesitation, Suman closes mouth around my palm.

I grind my teeth together, the sharp pain of his teeth stinging more than normal in light of everything else. I harden my resolve as I almost glare at Suman. "Don't let go."

"C-Cas…" I hear Suman's muffled acknowledgement through the torn skin of my hand.

I smile reassuringly before glancing at Allen. He looks faint, and I feel a twinge of panic, but he manages to get a hold of himself as he stretches out his claws towards the open wound and the faint glow beneath its rolling surface.

He pauses at the edge.  
"Cas?"

"Yeah?"

"C-Can I hold onto you?"

"Allen, you don't even have to ask."

With his right arm, Allen grabs hold of cloak, gripping it like a lifeline before plunging his arm

I tense, waiting for the pain I know is coming. Perhaps the reinforced Innocence arm might be more guarded, but my own limb was still disintegrated.

However, the pain doesn't hit Allen right away, and I almost dare to breathe a sigh of relief before Allen's Weapon strikes the other Innocence. There's a flux of energy from the two colliding, coupled with the breaking away of more of the Fallen One.

The pieces erupt, and the noise they make almost drowns out Allen's shriek as he throws his head back, his whole body wracked with the pain that floods him.

"Allen, I've got! I've got you," Is all I can say as I watch him helplessly, wrapping Bloody tentacle after Blood tentacle around the arm gripping me and rest of him, one even tenderly caressing his face as the tears stream down it.

Allen sucks in a sharp breath and the difficulty in it startles me; he starts breathing more and more forcefully, struggling to gulp in air as his whole body shakes, but still he presses on. He chokes, gasping like he's hyperventialintg while his body shakes like a leaf in a storm.

"Allen! Allen, stop this."

He ignores me, gritting his teeth as the tears keep falling, but he doesn't stop. The energy surges again and Allen screams louder.

He gasps, buckling over as his whole bodies wracked with sobs and violent coughs.

"Allen, for God's sake," I exclaim, nearly tearing my hand from Suman's grip, but I know that our pact is a two-sided deal so I falter, but my tendrils still wrap around Allen, tightening somewhat until he finally stops.

He remains bent over, gasping like he's got a punctured lung.

"Allen, please," I whisper, "Stop. It's killing you."

"I can't stop. We have to end this, Cas."

"You're ending this! What am I doing? Sitting here with my hand in a pseudo-corpses' mouth! You're suffering right before my eyes, and it's killing me! For God's sake, I don't want to lose you, Allen Walker!"

"She's right," Suman spits out my hand, and I turn to gawk at him, "Please, you've done enough, and your actions are wasted on me. So many lives have been lost because of me, even my comrades. They're dead because of my actions…I've committed a sin I can never atone for, and now I must pay the price for it. I'm not worth saving!"

"Y-You're wrong," Allen chokes out, not raising his eyes. "You are going to live! And your friends and all those other people will live on through you. For their sakes, be happy! I'm praying for your happiness, Suman Dark."

Suman stares at him in shook, his pale eyes like twin moons that are slowly being swallowed in darkness.

Allen still doesn't lift his head, "Cas?"

"Y-Yeah?"

"I'm so happy I met you."

Before I can respond, or quite frankly process his words, Allen plunges his wounded Weapon into the pool as far as it can go. His scream shatters my Innocence heart into a million pieces, the pain of it a million times more than the bite of Suman taking my hand back between his jaws.

I gasp, feeling like I want to scream and hit thing myself. This is so unfair. This is so brutally unfair!  
Why must Allen be made to suffer this way. Why must my Allen be subjected to this torment.

It's not fair!

My heart pulses in my chest, a desire burning through my like fire. A single tentacle that grows from the depths of my Innocence and extends outward from my body to wrap around Allen's shoulders like an embrace.

"Allen…" His eyes flit to mine and I smile slightly, " _Ich liebe dich_."

I can't tell if Allen understood me in this moment, and frankly, I don't care.  
Then the light flashes again, Allen yells in exertion as he jerks back. His arm pulses with energy that I didn't even think it still had.

I brace myself as Suman's teeth dig in further.

I gasp as images fill my mind, flowing out of what remains of him and into what remains of me.

Images of his daughter Jamie and his wife on a picnic, his comrades, him battling Akuma, fighting, protecting, breathing, living.

 _I want to live!_

I want that for you, Suman. I do.

Allen pulls his arm out, something bursting brighgtly from between the large claws: a light so bright it burns.

I pull backwards, everything burning with so many emotions, I almost can't breathe.

Allen rears back from the pool with the Innocence in hand, and I brace myself against Suman and pull.

Pull with all my might.

The Innocence shattesrs and there's a soundless eruption.

An explosion and an implosion simultaneously.

Everything goes white, and I'm monetarily weightless: tumbling down through a void.

I can't see or feel or think.

It's a moment of…not even bliss.

Neutrality.

* * *

I hit the ground hard, and it hurts like a motherfucker.

I lie in the grass that looks blue in the darkness, my whole body aching from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

There's a great weight pressing against my chest that is doing no favors for the cracks in my ribs.

My vision is fuzzy, and my ears are ringing.

But I'm breathing, there's Blood pumping in my ears, and holy Jesus on toast does my head hurt.

I groan, blinking rapidly as I try to clear the fireworks lingering across my vision.

The heavy thing on top of me shifts slightly, and I finally manage to focus on it.

"Allen…?" I croak.

He sits up, looking down at me in bewilderment like it's taking him a second to process what just happened.

"Cas, are you alright?"

"I think so," I reply, slowly sitting up before tentatively wrapping my arm around Allen's waist and rest my head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Not sure," I grumble into the crook of his neck. "I think it's called hugging."

"Suman!" Allen suddenly cries, startling me as he pries free and scrambles off me.

My arms linger almost dejectedly before something makes me freeze.

Clink.

Terror floods me as I clap a hand to the side of my cloak, a familiar place with a familiar pocket.

 _No, no, no! It can't be._

My hand dives into the folds of my garment, dread sinks into the pit of my stomach when my fingers close around the broken shards, confirming my fears.

I slowly lift my fist from within my cloak and unfurl my fingers to look down at the powder blue fingers settled in the center of my palm.

My pipe, Emma's pipe. The one she made me, broken into a million pieces.

I clap a hand over my mouth, suppressing a sob back down into the bubbling soup my emotions have become. The ache increases, and I feel faint.

"Cas! Get over here!"

I glance up, feeling like time had momentarily stopped and now I was hurtled back into reality. I'm sitting in a pool of moonlight in the center of a clearing. Tall stalks of bamboo stand around us on all sides like the bars of a cage, across from me is a large tree that looks like it would take at least six men to wrap their bodies completely around it.

There is a figure slumped before the latter's trunk where Allen is currently crouched before.

I stuff the pieces of my pipe back into my pocket, and with a great amount of effort, I manage to get to my feet and stagger over to Allen.

I am bone tired, broken bones and all.

As I approach the tree, the shadows part and I can see the body lying at is base is Suman. He's still in his striped state: hairless with bone white skin and glassy eyes that stare sightlessly ahead with his mouth lolling open somewhat.

I saw a brain-dead patient one time when I visited my mom at her hospital. I am instantly reminded of that incident.

"Suman, he-" Allen momentarily tails off, "He isn't responding. He's not-"

I lean down and press two fingers to the side of the man's neck. There's a faint beat rippling under his skin.  
"No. He's still alive."

Allen actually laughs slightly as his face floods with relief. "Then we did it. He's alive. We saved him."

"Allen…" I start, but he cuts me off.

"You can heal him, can't you? You can heal anything."

I stare at him, startled at his earnest and blind trust.  
"I-I don't' know," I admit, "I've never tried."

"But you can try now," Allen declares, reaching out with his uninjured hand to grasp my own remaining one, "He's alive, which means we have hope."

The way he's looking at me fills me with a sensation that's somewhat akin to relief or maybe it is hope.

I dunno.

"I will have to wait for this to fix itself first," I add, pressing a hand to my chest.

"Of course."

I the notice that Allen's left hand is in a reluctant fist, concealing an object.

"What's that?"

Allen unfurls his hand, the fingers shaking fiercely, to reveal a pale green shard that glows faintly "Suman's Innocence."

I nod before I see something small flutter in the corner of my eyes. I look towards it to see a familiar golden ball with wings hovering in the air beside my head.  
"Oh. Hey, Timcampy."

"We should probably get going," Allen declares.

I nod, glancing up at the sky, "Yeah. We should get back to Lenalee and the others. I wonder where she went by the way."

"I hope she's alright."

"Hmm."

Allen then crawls a little closer to Suman, struggling as his injured arm drags behind him.

"Allen, you're arm."

He disregards me as he reaches towards Suman's motionless form. "Come on, Suman. Let's go home."

Wings.

Black wings.

Erupting like fire from within his skin, like a storm, llike locusts, they tear through the flesh and the bone and even the very soul if that's what remains. All of it down to not even a husk, to when thee is nothing left, the black butterflies remain, hungry, ravenous, in a swarm, swallowing Suman up into the void, the nothingness.

I stop cold, my entire body freezing up as a feeling like my veins have turned to ice settles over me.

 _No. Not them. No…This can't be happening!_

My mind is racing, but my body won't move.

"Suman!" Allen's horrified shrieks snaps me from my initial terror as he lunges forward towards the cluster of butterflies ravenously chewing away. "No! No, get away from Suman!" He screams as his bloodied hand reaches out and starts try to rip them away, the velvety wings crumbling in his shaking grasp, but more just come to take their place.

"No, Allen! Don't touch them!" I cry, lunging forward to wrap my arm around his chest, yanking him back despite his attempts to beat me off, kicking and screaming.

"No! They-They're killing him! We have to-We saved him!" His last words end in a wail of pure desperation, even though we both know its too late as the butterflies consume the last of their meal before departing from the ground with nothing but a blackened stain in their wake.

Allen eventually collapses with a cry of pain, and he grips his arm as helpless, hopeless sobs wrack his entire form. "Damnit!" he screams at the sky, his voice raw and shrill as he bawls from the pain both physical and psychological.

It hurts like hell to see him like this, but I can't think, I can't process anything but the single thought racing through my mind on a loop:

Get out.

"Allen, we have to leave," I urge, taking his hand and pulling, but he doesn't respond. He just stares blankly at the spot Suman had been in.

The butterflies hover around us.

"Allen, come on," I hook my arm under his uninjured one and try to hoist him to his feet, but his body drags after him. "Come on, Allen. Get up! Use your legs. Allen, please!" I'm begging him now, "Allen, please! We have to get out of here. Please, come on!"

I stagger, my legs buckling from exhaustion as panic and sheer adrenaline fuel my every move. I'm tired, but I'm terrified.

"Allen, we have to go!"

A footstep.

"Oh, I'm afraid you're not going anywhere."

Everything stops. I feel like I turn to stone as terror seizes my entire form. I can't move for what feels like an eternity as everything crumbles around me.

God, no.

"Tease."

The butterflies surge past us in a torrent of jet black wings.

I slowly turn around once they've left our sides in time to see the Noah Tyki Mikk step into the light of the clearing. His golden eyes gleam in the moonlight as he holds out a gloved hand for one of the dark insects to alight upon.

He looks up at me, and his lips pull back to reveal pointed, shark-like teeth.  
"Hello, Cas. How lovely to see you again."

* * *

A/N: And so it begins….  
Reviews, questions, theories, etc. I always love talking with you guys!

See you all next week for the conclusion of the Fallen Arc!


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Well, here it is everyone. The moment you've all been waiting for.  
This chapter is fucked up and gory.

Get your tissues ready

It's gonna be a bumpy ride

* * *

From: TitanOfStone  
Q: Jeezus dude, why always the arms! Goes for the legs too! Or the eyeballs! I feel pity for Cas's constant abuse of her body, really. There's also this bittersweet love going about, too, and in SUCH AN APPROPRIATE TIME.  
"Hurts like a motherfucker" yeah, that sounds about right and I spit my drink on my phone for no reason XD  
TYKI HAS RETURNED. The trauma on her, man, it fucks her calm and collected composure up into swiss cheeses with tomato sauces :p. Quite a good writing at the last part, I have to praise ye. I can feel her fear and anxiety through the texts. Well done!

A: Idk, I guess because Cas uses them so much so taking them away is the most debilitating. Legs and eyeballs, do you really want Cas to lose those…? Yeah, at least Cas can take the physical pain. How can there NOT be?! Emotions like that come out in stressful situations. One has to wonder if Allen knows enough German…  
There's a reason! I like to think Cas's signature inflections in hazardous scenarios are amusing;) that's a very apt way of describing how Cas feels at the moment, she's terrified of what Tyki is going to do to her Allen.  
Thanks so much! I'm glad that came across so well:D

From: Waru Waru  
Q: So, in light that I accidentally sent a review before time because I am a total inept at technology, I continue the cut-off review. Ignore the previous one.  
Since I'm on my phone but too lazy to log in but in need of reviewing, here's le guest me.)  
That foreshadowing and painful reminder of Allen's future got me producing weird sounds and flipping tables for a good couple of minutes... *cries in emotional agony*  
Ah, this chapter was all about emotional agony... and imagery. I could just perfectly picture Cas and her black wings going against the white form of the fallen. It's almost poetic. Oh, and Cas questioning Allen's suffering to the universe *laughs bitterly* the foreshadowing/irony/relatablefeelz are strong. AND CAS CONFESSED (amidst the burning fires of hell and suffering, but she did) and in German! My polylingual soul is happy.  
However, my polylingual side is the only happy one. (Well, and maybe my masochist one, too.) Let me explain in a single word: butterflies.  
God, I have a feeling that after next Tuesday any fondness for Tyki fanart that I might have left will be gone forever.  
*is too traumatized to ask questions*  
~Ciao!

A: Lol. Don't worry about it. Yeah, I feel that emotional agony pretty hard, especially since the manga chapter didn't come out last month *rolls around on the floor snarling in pent up frustration* Although, truth be told, I'm looking forward to the time the Fourteenth rears his head. All I can say is that Cas and Neah have some of the strongest scenes together. There's a strange dynamic and chemistry that I really enjoy working with.  
Wow! I'm so glad you got that gorgeous image; it is kind of poetic: fitting with the dark look of an Exorcist after all;) Yeah, lowkey don't think Allen heard or understood her though, but I'm glad it made you happy all the same. I don't think Cas was seeing any of them making it out of that incident so she was throwing caution to the wind (literally).  
Yes! The Fallen One arc ends with 'Delete' one of, if not THE, most traumatizing moments in all of D. Gray Man and maybe even anime overall. One can never get tired of Tyki fanart! At least I can't, I like the ones where he's shirtless *drools*  
Well, I hope you're not _too_ traumatized.  
~Arrivederci!

From: Keelan1210  
Q: Tyki Mikk, you bastard! You're one of my favorite characters, but stay the hell away from Cassandra and Allen! Seriously, man... Anyway, this chapter was awesome. Allen was really cute with his "please don't leave me" and "can I just hold it".

A: Same! I love Tyki to pieces. Thanks so much, I'm glad you enjoyed. I know! Allen is a muffin. Poor baby, at least he had Cas to take care of him.

From: AmericaNidiot  
Q: being sick and reading this is far from great, honestly, cause it breaks my soul... anyways! -pulls Shanks and Sanji over to Allen and Cas- Allen, please meat Cas' true parents due to crazy science shit at the hands of either Dr. Vegapunk or the Vinsomke family! Say hi to your future father-in-laws Shanks and Sanji! Both of which are pirates... -vanishes in a cloud of blue smoke and red flames as the four get to know each other-

A: Awww, feel better; I'm sending good vibes.  
Sanji: So, do you guys like food…?  
(I laughed myself off the bed at this review)

From: Jiang Ai Xing  
Q: *Sighs for ten million years* Allen, why the fuck are you like this. good gods this made my heart wrench. I quite enjoy this but YOU FUCK WITH MY HEART MAN. CASLLEN. AHHHHHHHHHH MY HEART. MY SOUL. MY BEING.

A: I couldn't tell you; I'm sorry. I know I'm horrible. Callen is a pretty painful ship to have. I wish I could say I'd be giving you fluff now but…

From: J K Scarlett  
Q: CLIFFHANGER~ (sings it like an opera singer)  
My Goodness! What a roller coaster of emotions. I have been whirled around in it like some ol' rag. O.O ! But yeah "it hurt like a motherfucker", of course Cas shares my views. Bravo! Just hang in there Guys!  
TYKI! fuck you. You just have to put this ol' rag of me in a spinner too? Why? *sobs* Cas! Allen!  
BTW, I am glad you put em together throughout the Fallen arc. At first, i thought you might leave Cas out on the ship back there and she will be mourning like some Julliet but i am so glad you made it the other way. Thanks a lot!  
P.S  
I have been reading this fic since the day you first published and believe me I am reviewing on a fic for the first time in my life. You are simply great, Lady! LOL! Forced me to do the impossible. Hats off to ya!

A: I'm cruel, I know. Sorry about the cliffhanger;( I'm happy your pleased with that; I try to do different things with this story instead of following a more typical narrative, so I'm glad you're happy with it.  
So…in reading this last bit, I honestly started tearing up a bit. That was just so sweet and I'm so honored and thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much for this lovely review; I'm so happy you enjoyed:D

* * *

QUESTIONS FOR CAS AND ALLEN

Me: Reader Q&A time! Get excited! Alright, more from TitanOfStone: "Stop being so afraid Cas. When was the last time I sexually harassed you with my questions? I do not have my head dipped in the gutter, you know XD"

Cas: *grumbles*

Allen: Yeah, it's Cas who has their head in the gutter 24/7.

Cas: Well, maybe when it's about you~.

Allen: *blushes* Cas!

Me: Alright, you two. Question time: "Also, who do you think out of everyone is going to be One-Eyed Owl (Eto) and Non-Killing Owl (Yoshimura) respectively?"

Cas: As in, which of the people we know is most like them? I dunno. Sometimes I feel a little like Eto in some ways. That'll make more sense later…

Me: Yeah, we'll elaborate in the Asia Branch Arc.

Allen: As for Yoshimura, I don't really know.

Me: Cross, maybe? Looks and acts scary but is actually lowkey okay?

Allen: You're right about the first part.

Me: I think this question's for me: "what do you think about Kaneki singing Unravel (the Op, man) in a karaoke bar with Tsukiyama and Nishio (that happened in the lastest manga, and Tsukiyama was singing A Whole New World, to boot)?"  
That sounds awesome! I love that so much. I really need to read the manga. I have it saved on my phone…

Cas: Anymore for us?

Me: Yep. "I think you're going to need Psychiatrist (s) after this, Cas. I mean, you have shit luck with everything."

Cas: You sound like my mother.

Me: Considering what I have planned, it probably wouldn't hurt.

Cas: You sadistic bitch.

Allen: Cas! She gave you life.

Me: She's not wrong, quite frankly. Anyways, moving on. Here's a question from Keelan1210: "Allen, have you ever had to flirt with a girl (or guy) while trying to pay off Cross's debts."

Allen: Well, I can't even tell you how many times giving women the puppy dog eyes has helped with that, and there was this one guy….

Cas: I don't think I want to hear this story.

Allen: It's not that bad.

Cas: You didn't have to suck his dick, did you?

Allen: Well, no. He just made me put on a dress.

Cas: Damnit! Why wasn't I there for this?!

Me: It's just like your predecessor Robin in Hoshino's 'Zone'!

Allen: What?

Cas: Wow, you are a huge D. Gray Man nerd, aren't you?

Me: Okay this is getting meta. Moving on, the last one from this person: "To Cassandra, who is most your type? Tyki, Lavi, or Kanda?"

Allen: What about me?!

Cas: Oh shut up, everyone already knows I'd screw you seven ways 'till Sunday.

Allen: The question is: why don't you?

Cas: *ignoring him* Anyways, that's a pretty tough question. Hmmm, lemme see…I know! I'll take Lavi gagged, Kanda in a dress, and Tyki covered in hot caramel

Allen: Cas, what the fuck?!

Cas: And Allen on the side with some ice cream, please.

Me: At this rate, we'll be having an orgy.

Cas: Don't put that idea in their heads!

Allen: I feel so impure.

Cas: After a year traveling around with me, I'm not surprised.

Me: Alright, last set of questions from J K Scarlett: For Allen "tell me how would you have viewed Cas if she had got her Mother's genes and was born with Blonde hair and Gold eyes?"

Cas: Ugh, I don't even like the idea of that.

Allen: Cas as a blonde? Quite frankly, I think she'd look great, but I mean, she'd look awesome no matter what.

Cas: *groans* Allen, I can't with you.

Me: Now for Cas "Suppose you have blonde hair, what do you think?"

Cas: Meh, I always liked that I looked a lot less like my mother, but then again, my grandmother had blonde hair too before she went grey, so I guess I'd compare myself more to her. I like my red hair a lot, I'm glad I have it and don't intend on changing it.

Me: Another for Cas " what if Allen had red hair?"

Cas: You used to have red hair, right?

Allen: Yeah, when I was a little kid.

Cas: Kind bummed you don't anymore: we could match.

Allen: *snorts* I guess.

Cas: Regardless, I know Allen with white hair and that's the way I like him best. It compliments him beautifully.

Allen: *blushes hard*

Me: And they end with "Well and Good luck guys, you are my favourite."

Allen: *still flushing* Thank you.

Me: Okay, okay, that's enough. I think we've provided enough humorous cushion for the shitstorm that's about to follow. Strap in, everyone.

* * *

Chapter 45: Delete

* * *

 _The strange black butterflies fall around us like a curtain, cutting Cas and me off from the rest of the world._

 _They plunge through the air towards the Noah standing at the edge of the clearing amidst the bamboo stalks. He holds out his hand at their approach, and doesn't even flinch when the swarm divides, and the two halves each plunge into his palm._

 _They tear a hole in his hands as they slither down into the depths of his body, spraying thin, silent clouds of blood like crimson mist._

 _The Noah holds his hands aloft, the blackened hole at their centers oozing dark fluid. As I look on, the fluid morphs into a solid, and two gigantic butterflies bloom like flowers in the center of each hand._

 _They are far larger than the black swarm as well as purple with white stripes. Their bodies are made of nothing but gold skulls._

 _As their wings unfurl, their teeth chatter loudly._

 _The Noah smirks. "My, my, you've grown quite a bit, haven't you?"_

 _He then holds his hand up to his lips and gives one of the damned insects a tender kiss before letting it and its twin drift off his hand to hover in the air near him._

 _The Noah standing before us is making my whole body shake straight down to its core; the Innocence within me reacting to its antithesis being in such close proximity. The human side trembles as well, least of all because the golden-eyed demon is looking at Cas like she's dinner._

 _"_ _Tyki," she addresses the man before us with such an air of familiarity that it makes me look towards her in shock just as she steps directly in front of me. She holds out her arms, and my eyes widen in realization as the gesture's significance sinks in._

 _She's shielding me._

 _"_ _Tyki," I detect the barest tremor in Cas's voice as she continues to speak to the Noah, who's smiling lazily at her, "Please, if you're here for me then fine. I'll go with you. Just…"  
She holds out her arms further, concealing me almost completely behind her, "Just leave him alone."_

 _The Noah, Tyki, chuckles.  
"Oh, Cas," he smirks, snapping his fingers, "Wait your turn."_

 _There's a rustle that turns to a roar, the sound of hundred wings moving at once. A scream catches in Cas's throat as she's suddenly swarmed by the mass of black butterflies. They consume her in a flurry of movement, a forceful dark cloud that knocks her off her feet._

 _I hardly even register her flying past me before hearing the blunt crack of her back colliding with the tree trunk. Cas's confused and delirious groaning slowly climbs to louder and louder screams until she's flat out shrieking._

 _I whip around in time to see the butterflies crawling across Cas's body. Their movements are frantic, anxious and hungry as they flutter along her body, cascading down her own remaining arm as Cas throws her head back. A bloodcurdling scream escapes her lips as the butterflies start to burrow into her skin, digging in with needle teeth and velvety wings. The wings slip through the cracks slithering across the vulnerable limb._

 _Cas shrieks, thrashing around but the horrid insects keep her pinned to the tree as they wriggle further into her skin. After a moment, more start digging through her clothing and the flesh beyond, spurts of Blood rippling across the ebony fabric._

 _As Cas continues to thrash and scream under her insect captors, her cries are suddenly muffled, clogged as she gags on a few of the terrible creatures as they make their way up onto her face and start squirming down her throat.  
Cas falls forward, straining against her pinned arm, tearing even further as she chokes and heaves, trying to regain control of her own breathing._

 _I want to scream, I want to scream and cry and be sick all at once from the sight of Cas being subjected to that torment, but I can do nothing in this instant, this terror that has me in a vice-like grip. I can barely move at its mercy._

 _"_ _Cas!" I attempt to stand, to go to her, but my knees buckle under a crushing exhaustion and a burst of blinding pain seizing my body. I crumple back to my knees in the grass, eyes blurring as the hot agony courses through my veins. I can't keep a strangled cry from escaping my lips as my other hand instinctively goes to grip my left arm, trying to internally quell the pain running through it._

 _The Noah behind me seems surprised by this: "That arm…is Innocence."_

 _I glance up at him, my breathing ragged, trying to appear defiant, but all I want to do is pass out. I can feel a muted panic burning through my insides beneath the initial torment of my fractured Innocence._

 _I can't move._

 _As I glare up at the Noah to the best of my ability, his gleaming golden eyes suddenly widen in startled recognition.  
"Wait a minute," He's across the clearing in two strides, crouching down in front of me in apparent disbelief._

 _Cas protests loudly to his close proximity as he leans into me, babbling incoherently as she chokes on the butterflies in her throat._

 _"_ _You're that cheating boy on the train, aren't you?!" The Noah exclaims as he gapes at me._

 _I look at him, startled._

 _Cheater boy? Well, I suppose. Did I swindle this guy at some point? I wouldn't remember: there have been so many._

 _Swindled a Noah, wouldn't that be a story, but quite honestly, he didn't seem familiar. Perhaps he was mistaking me for someone else, but really how many white haired teenage boys do you meet? And he seems to know Cas, which is increasingly unsettling._

 _"_ _Of course, you wouldn't recognize me now," the Noah continues as he settles down on the grass in front of me, crossing his legs as he offhandedly strikes a match on the bottom of his shoe.  
The single flare is shockingly bright amidst the chasm of darkness that the clearing seems to provide despite the milky moonlight._

 _"_ _You don't mind if I smoke, do you?" the Noah continues as he lights a cigarette and blows a drag._

 _The way he does it, so calmly, like two old friends having a chat in a public library, and it's making all of my senses scream in warning, but I can do nothing for them. My legs just won't move, I'm steadily growing numb: a coldness creeping further and further through my body the longer I sit and the more I let this situation sink in. I feel like a weight is sliding down my throat to settle in the pit of my stomach: a blind terror building up in me the more I let those golden eyes look down at me._

 _It makes me want to scream and run but also fall to the ground and curl up in a ball simultaneously._

 _Cas suddenly screams even louder which makes my entire lower body clench in a pounding pain. The Noah glances at her over my shoulder._

 _"_ _Sounds like their eating something vital," he remarks before gripping my chin and turning me towards her as Cas thrashes around. There are ripples moving under her skin in places; I can see the monstrous creatures worming around in the deepest cracks of her body, infecting and consuming her like a disease._

 _"_ _She's an excellent screamer, by far one of the best I've had," the Noah continues, "Takes a lot of effort to get it out of her, but when you really get her going-."_

 _"_ _Stop it!" the cry leaves my lips as more of a feeling than a thought, an embodiment of the agony in watching Cas writhe like that. I make a move to try and bite one of the Noah's fingers but he quickly retracts his hand._

 _"_ _Whatever you're doing to her, stop it!"_

 _The Noah raises an eyebrow, but my words bring more of an air of amusement rather than intimidation._

 _"_ _You mean you don't know?" he smiles. "She didn't tell you, after the last time, what I do to people. How I kill my victims."_

 _My eyes widen in spite of myself._

 _Behind me, Cas convulses once, twice, her head knocking against the tree trunk and making the branches shack, she falls forward despite her one arm's restraints and with a retch, a flood of Blood and crumpled black wings falls from her mouth and splatters across the ground in a puddle of sick._

 _After a moment, a few of the less mutilated butterflies rise back up from the crimson fluid to continue a somewhat awkward but still fervent flight around the clearing._

 _One of them eventually makes its way over to us. I follow it with my eyes, my heart pounding, as it alights on its master's gloved hand.  
"These creatures are called the Tease: golems created by the Millennium Earl." He pulls his lips back in a wolfish smirk as he admires the tiny demon resting on his thumb, its black wings glinting in the moonlight. "They eat humans, but I suppose you might have guessed that. The more they eat, the more they reproduce, but that's their power no mine. The Tease are merely a tool."  
As he speaks, Tyki holds up his hand with a flourish, "No. My real power is…. this."_

 _Something strikes me._

 _Right through the chest._

 _My vision goes white, then black. I can't scream. I can't breathe._

 _I can feel it: a burning spear plunged deeply into my body._

 _Everything that had momentarily faded away slowly comes back. I suck in a sharp breath. I should be dead._

 _Why aren't I dead?_

 _Why isn't there hot blood spilling from my chest, thickly coating the thing inside me._

 _I look down. Tyki's arm is plunged straight through my coat, my shirt and my skin. There is no blood, there isn't even a wound; everything seems to fall away from his touch, or rather he commanded it to step aside._

 _I'm pulled back to clarity as the situation sinks into me. Cas is screaming._

 _"_ _NO! Allen! No! NO!" I hear her thrashing and shrieking, crying out in shrill desperation, but I can't seem to gather the strength to turn around and look at her, assure her that I'm alright. That I'm strangely unharmed._

 _I can't move; it feels like the heat from Tyki's arm is spreading thickly throughout my entire body, slowly melting my insides like candle wax before a flame._

 _"_ _ALLEN! God, please no!" Cas sobs._

 _"_ _Relax, he's fine," Tyki calls to Cas, sounding strangely annoyed. "Cool, huh?" he adds to me, "My whole body, not just my hand, can go through anything. This is my power: to choose what I can and cannot touch. So, if I pulled in my hand, and decided I wanted to touch your heart…"_

 _I feel his fingers flex against my shoulder blades, and a tremor passes through me. His words sink into every pour as he slowly pulls his hand back into my body. I feel it, warming around inside me like a virus, an alien disease._

 _My heart is hammering in my chest to the point I feel like it might burst as Tyki's fingers creep closer to finally encircle the panicked organ. I feel it: the grasp of my life in his hands._

 _I am completely powerless._

 _A grin slithers across Tyki's face behind the veil of his cigarette smoke as he leers down at me. "I wonder…What do you suppose it's like to have your heart ripped from your chest without cutting your flesh?"_

 _His fingers brush against my heart: the violating touch, so soft and tender in such a sensitive, unreachable place._

 _It makes my blood run cold around his hand._

 _Tyki leans in closer to me, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Say, shall we find out?"_

 _"_ _N-No!" Cas screams, thrashing as the Tease worm in inside her, "Please don't hurt him, Tyki. Please, I'm begging you. Don't hurt him. Do what ever you want to me, just please, don't. Tyki, please!" Her voice trembles with such an intense fear it seems to make everything shake._

 _In this clearing, it feels like there is only darkness and terror._

 _Tyki's eyes flicker to Cas behind me.  
"Are you begging for his life? You would give up your pride and yourself for this boy?_

 _"_ _Yes!" Cas cries, "Yes, I am!"_

 _Tyki looks back to me, "She seems to really care about you, boy. Can't really see why, but I suppose, if to appease her, I might consider sparing you from such a grisly fate. What do you think?"_

 _I slowly raise my eyes to him. Giving him the best 'fuck you' face I could muster under the circumstances._

 _Tyki blinks at me, startled. "You don't care? Well, then I won't rip out your heart; it would get my gloves dirty anyways. I usually let the Tease take care of the messier parts of my job: devouring people, that is."_

 _"_ _Normally," I manage to choke out, feeling like a block from his hand still inside me._

 _Tyki smirks, "Yes. You hadn't heard? About your comrades who's organs had been removed? Kazana Reed, Chakar Labon, Daisya Barry…?" His eyes once again go to Cas on that last name. "Suman helped me, so I didn't do that to him," he continues, returning to me, "Instead, I put Tease inside him to grow, and instead I got a few more."_

 _He gestures to the large purple-striped Tease fluttering lazily around our heads._

 _I feel my head slump forward._

 _This Noah…This Noah had killed so many people. I can practically see it: the bodies piling up…Cas was almost one of them._

 _I can practically feel it: the blood staining the hand so close to my tender heart._

 _"_ _Oh yeah, and there was that General guy too," Tyki suddenly adds, making all my racing thoughts slam to a halt._

 _General….?_

 _"_ _Yeegar, I think was his name," Tyki sounds thoughtful, "I didn't kill him right away though. Why did I do that again?" He seemed to have legitimately forgotten._

 _You killed the General. You killed a man like General Yeegar and then_ forgot _about it._

 _Like his life never happened. Like it never had any meaning to it._

 _"_ _Oh, that's right: I made him the Earl's messenger. To deliver the song to the Exorcists; therefore he had to die slowly, he must have been in excruciating pain."_

 _He laughs, and it feels like the sound rips through me like claws, spilling parts of me out of weakened state._

 _"_ _How…How dare you?"_

 _Tyki looks down at me, a mocking smile forming on his lips. "What was that, boy?"_

 _"_ _Everyone…"_

 _"_ _So, you hadn't heard?"_

 _The horror inside me seems to boil in that instant._

 _My hand seems to move on its own, fueled by passion, fueled by rage as it strikes Tyki across the face._

 _"_ _Allen!" Cas cries out in a mixture of shock and fear as Tyik's head snaps to the side, his hand slipping from within my body._

 _The weight leaving my chest fuels me, and I swing my arm again before the adrenaline can fade.  
"How dare you!" I shout louder as I throw a punch._

 _Tyki's read it for it this time; he catches it with each, trapping the trembling hand in his grasp. I barely have time for my heart to skip a beat before he crushes my fist, effectively breaking my hand._

 _There's a loud 'crunch' and boiling agony floods back up my arm before consuming my entire body, pouring out from my body. I scream; I try to hold it back, but the strangled yell still spills out of me._

 _"_ _Allen!" I hear an awful, painful ripping sound. I'm too delirious to register its meaning or the frantic footsteps behind me._

 _Cas pushes herself past me, getting between me and Tyki, who instantly jumps to his feet with Noah speed, but Cas doesn't let it deter her, not in this instant of blind, manic fury._

 _She has no right arm, and her left has been chewed to shreds, so she does the only thing she can: she head butts him right in the nose._

 _There's a sickening crack as Tyki stumbles back a step, his hand going to his face as dark blood starts to trickle down his upper lip._

 _That burst of adrenaline seemed to have milked Cas for all she was worth. Her energy leaves her so quickly she falls to her knees like a puppet with cut strings. Tyki has her by the throat before she can recover, if she even had any strength left._

 _He shoves her down hard into the grass, smacking her head on the hard, black dirt as he reaches into his pocket with his other hand and pulls out a handkerchief, which he dabs at his nose._

 _He slowly removes his hand from Cas's throat. She's breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly as Tyki straddles his legs around her and sits down on her hips._

 _I know in this instant that Cas is powerless. I try to move, but my body prevents it. It's screaming at me, trembling all over as the after effects of the pain roll through me in waves. My Innocence feels like its stabbing me with a red hot blade. I grit my teeth, falling forward slightly as tears leak from my eyes._

 _"_ _This is a familiar position, isn't it, darling?" Tyki remarks as he reaches down to tenderly run his hand down the side of her face. As he does so, Cas chokes slightly, and a Tease crawls out of her mouth and scuttles across her face.  
Tyki lightly flicks it away, and Cas tries to flinch away from his touch, but he grabs her chin and forcefully turns her face towards him._

 _She whimpers._

 _Tyki sighs almost forlornly as he leans down closer until their noses are almost touching.  
"Oh, how I've missed this face." He then presses his lips to hers._

 _Cas screams against his kiss in a cry of pure desperation, struggling against his persistence, but he holds her in place with the hand that isn't already gripping her chin, effectively pinning and she can do nothing in her weakened state._

 _I want to be sick._

 _Every fiber of my being is screaming to jump to my feet, shove him off her and rip his throat out._

 _I know now, in this instant, that this was the Noah in Barcelona. This was the man that had attacked and mutilated Cas, humiliated and made her suffer to the point of near death._

 _And here he was, violating her before my eyes, and I can do nothing. My body won't move. My arm feels like it's full of poison-tipped pins and needs that stab again and again against my tender skin._

 _It drains all the energy from me._

 _"_ _Stop it. Please stop it," I can barely raise my voice above a whisper._

 _At last, Tyki breaks from Cas, running his tongue along his lips as though savoring the taste of her. He then glances up at me._

 _"_ _Don't look so surprised, boy. This isn't the first, or even the second-time Cas and I have shared a moment like this, or didn't she tell you?"_

 _What…? What is he talking about?_

 _"_ _Judging from your expression, I'll take that as a no." He looks back down at Cas, "You didn't tell him about that little moment you shared? You seemed to like him so much, and yet you were keeping secrets."_

 _Cas sobs quietly._

 _She seems immobile. The only thing conveying any kind of emotion are her eyes, and they're stricken with terror._

 _"_ _Now, now, there's no need to be ashamed," Tyki chides as he runs his hands down her neck, feathering his fingers along her torso and across her tattered and singed clothing. He then leans down again and plants a tender kiss to Cas's cheek, then he feathers his lips downward and attacks her neck: sucking and biting it succulently, erotically._

 _Cas's head falls back, trying to pull away but only revealing more of her skin for Tyki to enjoy. He continues to move down her throat, leaving little red marks across her ivory skin while one hand begins to unsnap the buttons of her blouse_

 _No, no, no, no, no, no! It's all I can say; over and over again in my mind. The helplessness courses through me, burning harder and deeper than even the pain of my shattered Innocence._

 _"_ _So, so beautiful," Tyki whispers as he runs his gloved hands down Cas's now open chest, exposing her torso and the red bandeau-style bra that is systematically concealing her body's most incriminating aspects. The black and red Cross Krory gave her is knocked aside, it's chain lazily resting against her open collar. Tyki bends down once more, kissing Cas on the mouth and then moving down, his hands running over her chest while his head moves further south, his tongue trailing along the lines of the scars encircling her naval: the scars he's responsible for._

 _Cas is limp under him, her eyes are open, but are staring straight up, not looking at anything, pretending it isn't happening._

 _I can't take this. I want to vomit._

Please stop _, I bite my lip, a sob catching in my throat as tears spill down my cheeks._ Please stop touching my Cas like that. Anything but that.

 _Tyki glances up at me, a disgusting smirk on dark lips.  
"What's the matter, boy? Jealous?"_

 _I can't respond. I don't have the words. I can't even process what's happening._

 _Tyki shrugs at my lack of response before he bends back down and trails his tongue upwards along the center of her chest from her belly button up to her breasts._

 _Cas's back suddenly arches. "Tyki!" she moans in a short, sharp cry._

 _He chuckles while my eyes widen in terror and confusion._

 _"_ _It's no wonder your enjoying this, sweetheart," Tyki declares soothingly as he gently caresses the side of Cas's face, "Pain has another side to it, after all. Pain, pleasure. I'm the master of both. Tyki Mikk, the Noah of Pleasure."_

 _One hand then feathers down the farthest it's ever gone, running along the inside of her thigh, tracing her inseam, teasingly moving over the clasp of her pants._

 _Cas gasps, choking as though she's about to start hyperventilating._

 _She vigorously shakes her head.  
"N-No, please don't," her voice is hoarse and nearly silent, "Please, n-not in front of him. P-Please don't."_

 _Tyki retracts his hand almost immediately. There's a strange look in his eyes as he stares down at Cas._

 _I can't place it, nor can I really bring myself to care as I seethe, angrier than I've ever been in my life, angry at this Noah, this monster, angry at myself for being weak enough to allow him to do this to the woman I love._

 _Tyki tilts his head to the side as he regards Cas. "It really is a shame the Millennium Earl has ordered me to kill you. You would have been a lovely food source for my Tease. They seem to like you."_

 _He leans down and his tongue feathers along all the open wounds, spilling fresh, burning Blood across her skin, soaking the grass._

 _His words sink into me, and I can't see as the meaning of Tyki's words consume me._

 _There's a darkness that seems to descend around everything, blacking everything else out. Even the moon can't penetrate this abyss. Nothing is reaching us, and we cannot escape._

 _Is this hell?_

 _"_ _With a body like this, one that can heal from any injury; you would have been an eternal feast for them, for me as well." He then kisses her forehead before straightening up, "But alas, orders are orders."_

 _He then fists a handful of Cas's bra and there's a sharp ripping sound as he shreds it between his fingers._

 _Cas flinches, squeezing her eye shut as the scarlet fabric unfurls like an open wound._

 _Tyki's eyes widen. "Now, this is interesting. I certainly missed this last time." His long-fingered hands, like spiders, gently run along Cas's exposed ribs with the definite glow bleeding out from the crack across them._

 _Cas whimpers, her eyes still tightly shut. I can see her hand shaking._

 _I can't move. I can't speak. I'm frozen, the dread flooding me has hardened in this cold, dark, horrible place._

 _"_ _But now...is that?" Tyki leans down, his face disappearing against Cas's chest as he inspects closer._

 _Cas's head falls back, and I'm startled when her eyes find mine. My heart breaks as I see the defeat in them._ _A single tears of Blood trickles upside down along her face to run down her forehead._

Cas…

 _"_ _Oh, but now seriously!" Tyki straightens up as he barks a laugh of utter disbelief. "Seriously?! No, no it can't be. It's too easy," he grasps the side of his head, shaking it as he just laughs harder. "Your Innocence, is your heart! Are you fucking kidding me?" he throws his head back, roaring with laughter, "It's too easy! It's just too easy! Not to mention,_ obvious. _Come on! Seriously?!"_

"She's not the Heart!" I blurt, my voice shrill and cracking.

 _Tyki stops cold. He looks over to me, arching an eyebrow. "Oh really? Well, if you say so, but there's really only one way to find out, isn't there?"_

 _I can't respond. His words slam into me; I almost black out. The beginnings of a feeling so vile and horrible I can't even explain it slowly begin to bubble up from the deepest parts of me._

 _"_ _This really is rather impressive," Tyki continues, tilting his head down as he presses that horrible tongue into the crack in Cas's ribs._

 _Cas shifts up against the ground. "Ah!"_

 _Tyki chuckles as he rears back, licking his lips. "Did that feel good?" His hand then slides across her steely ribs, his movements almost contemplative. "Yes, this is a rather brilliant defense mechanism. I suppose it's strong enough to keep out Akuma." A smirk unfold across his lips, "Unfortunately, it's not strong enough to keep out a Noah."_

 _I'm shaking. I'm shaking so hard, I can barely breathe._

 _Please, please don't._

 _"_ _Did you know, Cas?" Tyki's voice is almost soothing as he continues to stroke her exposed ribs, "It was once believed that men had one less set of ribs than women because Adam had given one of his up in order for God to make Eve. Interesting, isn't it?" He lowers his voice as his hand finally stops its caressing, "I wonder…how many sets do you have?"_

 _His hand then morphs into her skin._

 _Snap!_

 _Cas throws her head back, a scream consuming her whole body._

 _It tears through me._

 _Tyki smirks, "One."_

 _Snap!_

 _Cas writhes, trashing from side to side._

 _"_ _Two."_

 _Snap, snap!_

 _"_ _AHHHH!" Cas sobs loudly, her voice raw as Blood gurgles up in her throat, spilling down her face._

 _"_ _Three, four."_

 _Snap, snap, snap!_

 _Cas lurches upwards, her head slamming back down against the ground as she howls in agony._

 _"_ _Five, sick, seven."_

 _Snap, snap!_

 _"_ _Eight, nine."_

 _"_ _Please!" Cas's voice breaks as she kicks her legs weakly, writhing desperately in an attempt to escape the pain. "Please, s-stop!"_

 _Snap, snap!_

 _Yelling in pain, misery, agony, never ending torment. "N-No more!"_

 _"_ _Ten, eleven."_

 _Relentless, bloodcurdling scream. "PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!"_

 _Snap!_

 _"_ _Twelve."_

 _Tyki slowly retracts his hand, Blood dripping from his once pure white glove._

 _Cas goes limp against the grass, gasping with each breath being dragged from her in soaked, ragged sobs from the soup Tyki has made of her insides._

 _My face feels hot, the tears doing nothing to quell the burning as my whole body trembles. I can't see, everything seems blurry and like it's spinning. I can't process what I saw. What I'm seeing._

 _"_ _Still no tears? Come now, Cas, you couldn't even muster at least one for me?"_

 _I'm reeling, but Tyki's words bring me back to this hell we're in._

 _This prison with walls, this cell without bars._

 _Cas's head falls to the side, unable to respond as Blood pours from her mouth.  
"F-Fuck you."_

 _Tyki chuckles. "I fighter to the end. I did always like that about you." He then grasps her chin and tilts up her head so he can kiss her again._

 _He holds her there for a long time._

 _God, just stop it! Please, no more!_

 _Cas is limp as a rag doll when he finally releases her. He looks up at me, smiling as some of Cas's Blood dripping from his lips._

 _But I hardly notice him, I'm looking at Cas: motionless beneath him._

 _Cas...move._

 _"_ _She's not dead yet. Just blacked out," Tyki remarks casually as he stands up and steps away from Cas, striding over to me._

 _My rage flares in this instant, adrenaline erupts from my frantically beating heart. I try to channel it, try to make my body stand._

 _But I can't even move, let alone stand._

 _My hand trembles at my side._

 _If only I was stronger, than Cas wouldn't have had to go through that torment. Then I wouldn't be helpless before this Noah in this moment._

 _I'm our last line of defense, and I can do nothing._

 _If only I was stronger!_

 _Cas, get up, please…_

 _A sob courses through me._

 _"_ _Now then, the Earl commanded me to kill an Exorcist named Cassandra Williams, but he gave me another name as well." His Bloodied hand shoots out and is around my throat in an instant, clamping down on it like a voice. I choke as he jerks me up to my knees.  
"Cas called you "Allen". Tell me, are you Allen Walker?"_

 _A kind of primal terror fills me in this moment. A fear that stems back to the most base elements of human psyche, the self-preservation of our very minds and bodies._

 _I don't respond. I can't respond._

 _"_ _Answer me, boy," Tyki shakes me rather roughly._

 _"_ _That is correct" warbles a disembodied voice._

 _A large playing card suddenly wriggles out of the side of Tyki's jacket of its own accord and floats outwards to hover in the air around our heads. It spins around to reveal there's a little room impossibly crammed inside the paper thin surface. A small stone cell with bars preventing exit. Peering through said bars is a little creature the size of my thumb with a white face and sunken black eyes. He's dressed in what appears to be a combination between a prisoners uniform and a jester's costume._

 _"_ _This boy is Allen Walker!" the creature wails._

 _Behind it, I catch a glimpse of letters scratched on the walls of its cell. Letters that glow brightly, spelling out my name._

 _Allen Walker._

 _Beside it, another name glows._

 _Cassandra Williams._

 _"_ _Delete!" the creature moans._

 _Tyki catches sight of me eyeing the strange playing card and the creature within it._

 _"_ _This is Cell Roron," he gestures to it, "He's called the Prisoner of the List Cell."_

 _"_ _Delete!" Cell Roron repeats._

 _"_ _He told you who you are," Tyki moves his free hand down over my left shoulder, purple energy sparks against his palm, "Let's start with your Innocence, shall we?"_

 _The light fluctuates, consuming my arm._

 _Pain. Burning. My arm is one fire. This agony is like molten magma in my veins. Screams pour from my mouth, and there is nothing I can do to stop them. I'm fading, in and out, unconscious of everything, but this pain, even myself. Maybe I'm screaming words, begging him to stop, maybe it's just mindless gibberish, maybe I'm pleading with someone to help me. Maybe all three. My vision is white and I'm still shrieking in torment. I can't think. I can't breathe. For a moment, I can't remember the names of my comrades, or the name of my torturer.  
As the pain peaks, I forget even my own name._

 _I gasp and then I can't feel anything. As quickly as it comes, the pain evaporates. I'm left with its ghost lingering within as a numbness consumes my entire form._

 _I fall, hitting the ground just as something heavy drops into the grass near my head._

 _Moving is out of the question, every cell is still shaking with agony._

 _My vision is swimming, but it starts to clear. I see Tyki's feet standing beside a lumpy, blackened object lying on the ground._

 _My arm._

 _"_ _That piece over there is Suman's Innocence, I take it."_

 _Oh…the piece I left lying in the grass by the tree._

 _"_ _Well, I suppose we can test to see if your Innocence is the Heart. If it isn't Cas like you say, than maybe it's you." He tone is mocking. "If your Innocence is the Heart, then Suman's shard should be destroyed too."_

 _No…No, no._

 _Don't._

 _Pleae._

 _"_ _Tell me, boy, did you know of the Noah's inherent ability?" he opens his palm over the dismembered limb as more violet energy erupts from it. "We can destroy Innocence."_

 _There's a shrill crack like thunder as the energy strikes the limb: it stiffens and writhes, crumbling and unraveling before my eyes, piece after piece, falling away into oblivion, into nothingness where it can never be retrieved._

 _"_ _Ah!" The abrupt, shrill shriek of horror, pain, shock, and other tangled emotions that simply have no name erupts from my lips as Tyki crushes the cross-shaped shard on my hand and then unfurls his fingers to let the green dust fall into the air and vanish._

 _My Innocence, my left arm, a part of my body, a part of my soul. Gone. In an instant, shattered and destroyed to nothing but powder._

 _Scattered like ashes in the wind after a forest fire._

 _My Innocence is gone._

 _"_ _Well, it looks like your Innocence wasn't the Heart after all" Tyki flexes his fingers and more anti-Innocence energy flickers across them. "Can't really say I'm surprised. Now then, there's one last thing to talk care of."_

 _He then steps away from me, moving back over to the other end of the clearing._

 _To where Cas is lying unmoving._

NO! _The word rips through me, silent as it burns my insides. I beat against the confines of my own body, useless and weak. I'm begging, not with words or thoughts but with feeling._

 _I hear Tyki's footsteps moving closer, closer._

 _I can't move; I'm lying like a corpse on the grass. I can't even turn my head. Frozen, helpless, hopeless._

 _I lost an arm, but I'll live._

 _But she…_

 _Please, don't!_

 _"_ _Stop it," the desperation filters out, quiet and hoarse from my external exhaustion._

 _Tyki walks over to Cas lying in the grass amidst her Blood._

 _He kneels down beside her._

 _"_ _Stop it," I say it a little louder. It hurts. My stomach churns, twisting. I hurt. I hurt with an agony that can't be explained._

 _Tyki reaches down. There's a sickening sucking sound as his hand is consumed in her innards fluid. He lingers for a mere moment before he slowly begins to pull his hand out, straining the barest amount as he grasps something in hand._

 _He pulls it out, out into the air and the darkness and the cold where it should never be._

 _It's glowing bright green through the dozens of red tendrils encircling it like a box knot, tethered and growing out from it like a nest of snakes, the tubes of veins pumping life for the source._

 _Cas's heart._

 _Tyki is holding Cas's heart in his hand._

 _"_ _Stop it!" I yell. Tears burn in my eyes, scalding my skin as the purple energy builds before my gaze. "STOP IT!"_

 _The dark energy consumes the light, it ravages it like a hungry flame, devouring it, blotting it out, casting it out into obscurity. The green shatters with a loud crack, exploding into dust as Tyki unfurls his palm, letting it fall like emerald rain through the air._

 _The veins fall against the remains of Cas's chest, untethered, they lay across her like cut red ribbons._

 _Cas convulses once, and then goes completely limp._

 _Time seems to stop, dragging like feet buried in wet sand, but then the tied comes in and everything is swept up into torment. Tears explode from my eyes as the emotion consumes me slowly and then all at once. I fall over onto my back and throw my head back as a scream of pure misery leaves my lips._

 _I just keep screaming; I'm yelling and sobbing as my heart breaks into a million pieces in that instant, the shards dragging through every inch of me._

 _Cas…Cas is…_

 _The tears flow thickly down my face as I howl in agony, the pain white hot in me. I can't even process anything. I can't think, only feel, but I don't want to. I just want it to stop. This compares to nothing._

 _I'll lose my arm a thousand times before I lose here._

 _"_ _Wow, judging from your reaction, I take it you had a bit of a thing for her."_

 _Through my tears, I see Tyki standing over me once again._

 _I choke back a sob. I can't bring myself to feel angry. I just want to die._

 _"_ _Not that I blame you," the Noah continues as he kneels down beside me, "She is-was-a rather amazing woman."_

 _I know what's going to happen next. I know it, I feel it._

 _I feel everything, and yet nothing._

 _Something suddenly flutters in the corner of my vision. My eyes flicker towards it to see Timcampy is hovering beside my head. I can almost detect worry in his featureless face._

 _A notion suddenly comes to me, a flicker like the shard lying in the grass, the last Innocence remaining amidst the bamboo._

 _"_ _R-Run, Tim," my voice is a weak tremble, barely a sound at all. The little golem looks at me, a silent protest emitting from him, "T-Take Suman's Innocence and run. G-Go!"_

 _Tyki looks down at me in confusion, unable to react when Tim abruptly zips across the clearing and scoops up Suman's Innocence, swallowing it in a single gulp before taking off towards the sky, streaking out of the clearing in a matter of seconds._

 _"_ _T-Thank you, Tim."_

 _Tyki whistles. "I have to admit: that was actually pretty clever. You sent that golem away thinking "I'm done for, but at least I can get that Innocence to my comrades". I hate to spoil it for you, but your golem will just fly straight into a swarm of Akuma. They've probably already been alerted to his presence now. Soon, they'll destroy him and it will all be for naught."_

 _I might have laughed. This Noah doesn't know how fast of a flier Timcampy is; he can get through a million Akuma without breaking a sweat. He'll return to the others no problem. At least I can take that one fragment of hope with me._

 _I can't really see Tyki anymore, or anything else aside from the moon. It looks so large, closer than normal. Is it moving, moving nearer to me? The white light falls around me, cascading into the shadows like a halo._

 _"_ _You've prepared yourself for death, haven't you?"_

 _I feel something in that moment; I'm not sure what it is: my emotions all feel raw and undercooked in my chest, but it's not a kind of fear or anger or sadness or anything else._

 _"_ _As long as everyone else remains," I whisper, looking up as Tyki's golden eyes momentarily swim back into clarity for me, "As long as they keep fighting, there is still hope."_

 _I can't read Tyki's expression, but I don't care about his response._

 _I feel so, so tired. A numbness fills me, a bliss I drink up hungrily._

 _"_ _You're optimistic to the end, boy," Tyki remarks, "Well, pray that happens, to your God, if you like, but your God isn't there, boy."_

 _I know he's mocking me, but I do it anyways._

 _Cas would've. I'd even pray in German if I knew enough of it._

 _For her…_

 _I love her so much._

 _I choke._

 _I didn't even get to say goodbye._

 _I close my eyes._

 _I just want to see her again._

 _"_ _Listen, Tease, don't eat him. Instead, make a small hole in his heart."_

 _I hear a chattering sound, the teeth of gold skulls with purple wings._

 _"_ _I feel I should give courageous people like you time before you die. The blood will flow from your heart, and your body will fill with terror, and you'll die, suffering!"_

 _I feel that heat again, erupting inside me, followed by the soft sensation of wings squirming inside me._

 _Then a coldness, a coldness that begins somewhere in my core but then slowly starts spreading outwards to other parts of my body. It's cold…it's so cold it burns._

 _Please, no more._

 _I just want to die._

 _I just want Cas._

 _I can almost feel her…beside me._

 _Is that her?_

Allen…

 _"_ _Sweet dreams, boy."_

* * *

My eyes snap open.

I can't feel…. Anything.

There's darkness below me and above me.

I can't move.

What…?

I then remember Tyki, and Allen kneeling in the grass.

I roll over, onto a shoulder with no arm as the other arm, bitten and torn beyond use flops helplessly against the grass.

My vision is hazy, blackened with fireworks scattering before my eyes.

I try to move, but nothing respond. It feels like everything below the neck is tethered to me like dead weight.

Something feels wrong, something feels very, very wrong.

It takes a few moments for everything to fall into place, for my thoughts to align themselves.

Oh. I'm dead.

Or dying rather, if my empty chest is any indication, more and more fluid seeping from it by the second.

It feels like a heavy block has been lifted. I feel weightless, but there's a scalding edge to it that I can't ignore.

I don't have much time.

The remaining Innocence within me, in that secret place no one knew about.

It had saved me once, and now it was buying me time.

Time for what though?

The light flows around me. the light from the moon, it's looks so big in the sky, like its swallowing everything up. I follow the trail of its beam down into the clearing, and I see.

Allen is lying on his back in the grass. He's still and unmoving, his skin looks ashen in the milky light.

Terror floods me.

No…No!

I want to leap and run, I feel the desire in my soul, but my body won't, can't.

My legs are immobile, my arms are gone and useless.

But I drag, I drag them all, inch by inch, yard by yard.

Pulling myself along by the single limb I still possess, scraping desperately through the dirt.

I feel it, time seems to drag around me while my internal clock hammers away, ticking away every precious minute.

Just time, just a little more time.

It feels like there are million miles separating us.

It feels familiar. Allen and me, surrounded by darkness, blood and moonlight.

This is it, isn't it?

This is the dream. The dream that started this.

I suppose I always sort of knew it was going to end here.

No, I can't let that happen. I won't!

I reach him, finally, I reach him.

Please, please. I press my head against his chest. There's a heartbeat, but it's faint and interrupted by something else.

I feel the rippling, the fluttering against the underside of his flesh.

Wings.

There is a Tease inside his chest.

My mind hurtles itself forward, slamming into action, in an instant accessing everything, everything that I could possibly do, and I find there isn't many.

Legs that won't move, and arms that won't heal.

I reel, desperate.

Something. There has to be something!

There is….

Oh God, there is.

But I…I can't.

Without my healing abilities, I can't….

 _No_. I close my eyes, trying to clear the fear polluting my mind, If you do this, he might die, but if you don't, he definitely will.

Just remember that.

I shift backwards to the best of my ability. I close my eyes. If I could exhale, I would, but I'm not really breathing at the moment, so I don't.

That last piece of Innocence, just need it for one last act.

If there's a chance, than there's hope.

That's what Allen would say.

I open my mouth as the Blood flood it, some of it dribbles down my chin while the rest hardens against my teeth, shaping into sharpened, needle points.

Fangs. Fangs like Krory's that can tear through anything, even flesh.

I squeeze my eyes shut. I almost lose my nerve, but I pull it back, gripping it desperately like a lifeline.

I let my head fall down against Allen's chest, and I bite.

I sink my teeth in as far as they will go: there's the slick sound of tearing flesh and breaking bone.

Allen gasps, groans, and then he screams.

His voice is hoarse, faint. They are not as loud as they should be, but so much has happened.

The body is tired and weak.

It can barely respond: barely yell, barely writhe.

I try to work as quickly as I can, making my way deeper, trying to bite as few times as possible. The taste it vile in my mouth. I want to be sick, but I keep going, keeping chewing and tearing until finally something bites back.

I rear back with purple and white striped wings fill my vision, tiny jaws clamping onto my lips. I shake my head, and it breaks its hold, falling off into the abyss surrounding us.

I look back down at Allen. The blood is flowing thickly, pints of it. The open wound, the shattered ribs, the ripped skin, the tattered organs.

Torn open as if by an animal.

By me.

I press my head against the wound, the only thing I can do.

I feel him slipping away against me.

"Allen..

Movement comes back into my left hand, and it instantly goes down to press against the tear in his chest, the hot blood gushing against my fingers

His breathes come hollow and ragged, dragging within his chest, against my fingers.

He's gasping, fighting, dying…

He's dying.

Allen's dying.

"Allen," my voice cracks: a sob, a whimper. I look at down at his face as his eyes flutter open. Can he see me? Is he lucid? "Allen, look at me. Can you hear me? Allen, no, no, no," my word quicken.

Desperation pours into me, raw, ravaging, like a flood, like a storm.

It hurts and I want to scream.

"Allen, please!" I hurts to yell like this, but I don't care. I'm feauled by a desperation that cannot be named or described, a feeling al encompassing, consuming.

I'm flashing back. I grip Allen's hand; it's cold and clammy.

"Allen, please!"

Emma, please!

"Don't leave me."

Don't leave.

"Please don't leave me, Allen. Please, you have to hold on!" I let my head fall back against his bloodied chest. "ALLEN!" I scream, it shreds me to my core, but I know that there's always

He's falling from me, I cling to him desperately but Allen Walker is dying in my arms, falling away like grains of sand.

"Take me," I sob against his chest, "Take me, not him. Spare him, please. Allen, please don't leave me. Please, don't die. Please, please. God, please."

I feel them against my face. Tears. I've never felt them before.

They're hot, and they sting.

They fall down onto Allen's heaving chest, steadily still by the second as his shallow breaths quiet, glistening in the moonlight.

Allen goes still, and I just lose it.

HELP!" I scream to the sky, to the world, up from the bottom of this hell we're in, "SOMEONE! HELP US! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP! WE NEED HELP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP US, PLEASE!"

* * *

End Act 1

* * *

A/N: And that's it! It's done! Well, Act 1 anyways  
So feel free to write reviews, ask questions, all the usual stuff!

Act 2 shall be waiting in the wings. And what do we have in store?  
Well…  
More Callen (Cas/Allen)  
More Cyki (Cas/Tyki)  
Cas's 100% Synchronization with her Innocence  
Cas revealing her 'Final Secret'  
Every Rose has Thorns…? (A hint for the Ark Arc)  
Also: THE ARK ARC! Much excitement  
Cas will finally meet Cross  
More of Cas's grandmother and mother  
Cas as the Creator of Space…  
The Fourteenth!

And much, much more!

Also: Probably all wondering how the fuck Cas survived. Well, that elephant in the room will be explained properly during the next arc, although theories are always welcome.

So I hope you stay on board! I will be taking a few weeks off for finals and anime conventions and the like but I will be posting the next installment on Christmas and then a follow up chapter that Tuesday December 27th  
I hope to see you all there!

Stay tuned for 'I Dream in Ashes'


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